A window cube will soon have the power to evaporate and condense water from the air into drinkable water and will thus transform the way we gain access to liters of water. This window cube was an innovation developed by an international research team. The idea behind this invention was to create a small wooden device that can harvest clean drinking water from the air without any pipes, electricity, or other movable parts. This easy water solution is needed in a world where water scarcity impacts over 80% of the population. A practical solution is on offer that is powered by the sun and basic materials like wood and salt.
A water cube makes condensing water a possibility for the future
Researchers at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) and the Zhejiang A&F University were behind the big unveil of a water-harvesting device created solely from balsa wood, lithium chloride salt, and carbon nanotube ink. While none of the materials utilized are special, the amalgamation of such simplistic materials has resulted in a working water generator that is portable and able to produce water from air, literally!
As per the process, delignified balsa wood becomes soft and spongy when its rigid component is removed. The result is a block of wood that is sponge-like and porous. This sponge-like block absorbs the environment’s moisture. This, along with the salt and lithium chloride, reacts with water molecules and becomes most effective at absorbing the water.
The other cube side is coated with carbon nanotube ink, responsible for capturing solar energy and heating up rather rapidly. When the sun rises, the collected water evaporates within the cube and condenses into a liquid. The liquid is then ready to be collected. The entire system is genius and is 94% efficient.
A simplistic yet scalable water solution for remedying water scarcity
Simplicity is at the core of this innovation that performs well. During outdoor tests where the humidity was about 65,9%, the cube absorbed more or less 2,5 milliliters of water per gram overnight and released most of it when placed in the sun the following day. The cube is even functional in low-humidity environments where the humidity is around 30%.
Weighing less than a gram, the cube is a portable solution. However, when many cubes are put together, the power that can be generated is immense. In fact, nine cubes together can absorb more or less 15 milliliters of water during the night. Therefore, the potential that will result from linking many cubes together cannot be overstated.
A water solution that may help rid the world of thirst
Yes, the cube can help considerably with providing drinking water. However, this solar-powered cube was created more so to provide emergency relief and to be used for agricultural purposes in secluded areas. With the cube, indoor humidity can be regulated as well. The cube will help best in regions that experience the problem of water scarcity.
Dr. Junfeng Hou, who was a core part of the Chinese research team, said that scaling up the cubes or producing smaller cubes would be rather cost-effective. With cost burdens and environmental burdens eliminated, this is a great step towards a better water future. This is, however, not the first cube to result in drinking water from thin air.
An innovative cube drawing water from thin air
A simple wooden cube that tapped into basic principles of science can produce water, and that too by making use of the simplest of materials. Air is now being converted into water by evaporation and condensation. A freshwater solution has come at a time when we need it the most, offering real hope that clean water can be drawn from the air and may become available for everyone, even those in the most water-scarce regions. This solution follows that of the steel bucket that you can place at home to generate 400 liters of water daily.
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