Water from Thin Air

Access to fresh, clean drinking water may be one of the most pressing issues we will face in the future. So scientists are looking toward a relatively untapped, yet abundant, source of water to address this problem – the atmosphere. In areas of high humidity, devices called fog catchers are already being used to turn water vapor into drinkable water. But in arid places, they’re virtually ineffective.

Operating on the premise that solutions to many problems can be found in nature, a team of researchers began studying how certain species of beetles survive in some of the driest deserts on earth. The researchers found that the Namib Desert Beetle has tiny grooves on its abdomen that, when oriented toward the wind, capture water particles that are then channeled into its mouth. Building on this model, the team created an electrospun polymer with grooves as small as tens of nanometers apart. This generates a large surface area in a very compact space, making the polymer extremely effective at capturing condensation from the atmosphere.

The concept is small, inexpensive to produce and more scalable than desalination and other harvesting techniques. The device could take many forms – from a backpack to roof-mounted panels – and the team is currently seeking funding to develop working prototypes for field testing.