This water harvester can turn desert air into drinkable water

[@jcm730]

Think about it.. between owning a properly sized MOF (or an atmospheric water generator), a solar system and a hydroponic farm one can live anywhere off the grid that he or she pleases. Places where land is very very cheap! At giveaway prices. A desert oasis can be made.. And lets not forget satellite internet. Technology is empowering the individual and decentralizing water, power and food supply. Cool stuff to ponder

[@jcm730]

My point is to imagine the possibilities. One can own property that is cheaper just outside of town (close enough for emergencies). Food was covered in my comment about hydroponics. The greater point of my comment IS that tech is empowering the individual.

[@MrOTcomputer]

@@jcm730 > Sounds good Matthews, but there is a far better way - For Earth, that is. The way they speak of in this video is not for earth but like you said, for other planets in space. There is a very simple process that can pull moisture out of the air and/or atmosphere and produce drinking water.

[@moh19931000]

@@MrOTcomputer can elaborate on the simple way you speak of, I'm researching the subject and got curious

[@MrOTcomputer]

@@moh19931000 > Sure. Our air contains oxygen and hydrogen so the device is basically pulling the moisture out of the surrounding air to produce water. Some people say "oh well you can't get moisture out of air that has no moisture" and I say "then go higher or lower until you reach air that contains a little more moisture". There is always some moisture in air even if it doesn't feel like it. Even if the temp is 105 degrees out then I say go lower or higher. Higher would be a hot air balloon to raise the device higher into the air where the temps are lower OR dig down where the air temps are lower as well.

[@DadOfCall]

Just don't let earthly governments find out😭😭they want/ need their taxes lol

[@LON-project]

Berkeley Alum here. I tried contacting the Professor in charge of the study, but haven't heard back. I have 10 acres in Lancaster, CA (high desert) and would love to test it out here! I do R&D for Aerospace things.

[@cryptickcryptick2241]

Another potential commercial application of this technology might be crawl space dehumidification. In the South Eastern United States (Tennessee, Alabama) many homes have crawl spaces and major moisture problems in those crawl spaces. It is a very complicated problem, but with constant rain, A/C in the home both vented and unvented crawl spaces get a lot of water which causes mold problems. A simple solar powered dehumidifier that could be placed outside a home and in a crawl space vent and cycle significant amounts of water out of of the homes crawlspace would be beneficial. If placed there, if could theoretically work trouble free for years. Absorbing water at night and releasing it to the air during the day when the suns heats it up.

[@rc55uk]

Ah, the old Fremen dream - vegetation on Arrakis!

[@raziarahmat4299]

I live in Karachi Pakistan I like your comments if you don't mind thanks

[@elladailylife]

I love seeing how much your garden grows over time

[@Rosspal14]

So 1/3rd of a cup of water per pound per 24hrs (I assume?) so like 40+ pounds of the stuff to cover each persons daily consumption needs plus crazy amounts more for crops. Very practical to have a full farm field of synthetic material all covered in translucent boxes which all need to be opened, closed, and harvested each day.... these people are definitely in touch with the people of the land

[@gagarinone]

You don't need so much water with vertical farming technology.

[@gordonstull1962]

I can see the water harvester as being a very important first step into hydroponics on a "large" scale, simply because one-hundred percent pure water can be readily obtained and circulated in an "enclosed" CO2 ecosystem. One possibility for removing CO2 from the air we breathe would come from the Linde air-liquefaction process. Simply by compressing the air we breathe and removing the excess CO2 from the earth's atmosphere while at the same time using the CO2 gas as a refrigerant and pumping it into the grow room for the plants to use. If it were to be possible, this could solve many problems, as well as being a highly efficient way to grow plants that can be tailored to everyone's needs, while at the same time reducing greenhouse gases from the earth's atmosphere! Thank you for this very informative video!

[@mattn6936]

Very exciting. Now why not make the box "funnel shaped" so that the water droplets have a more concentrated path?

[@Labroidas]

I think especially the design of the box can be improved a lot to be more efficient, but I think the main subject of their research is their hygroscopic powder. The box is just meant to demonstrate the concept.

[@MartianLivesMatter]

What would happen if you used this as a medium for fungi which has a symbiotic relationship with a cyanobacteria? Could this create some kind of implosive energy production framework?

[@Vivenk88]

Where has this gone in regards to its commercialization? Thank you.

[@connoc5078]

Probably nowhere just like every other invention identical to this one.

[@mirabehn-stormysynapse]

Thank you, from a thirsty world!

[@desertsolarug]

This is really an extremely interesting development for water harvesting. The following question arises in my mind: how does such a device solve the accumulation of atmospheric particulate matter (PM), which settles on any surface and after a long time turns everything into a layer of concrete? This becomes especially The case when the water molecules mix with it.

[@Chimonger1]

Might have to periodically groom the top surface. Might have to put an air filter over the air-intakes, that can block those ambient chemicals & particles. Might check out basic sand filters…those require filling from a water source. But, those develop a biota layer on the top of the sand, which is part of their filtration magic…Not disturbing that biota layer, is important. Seems the MOF system might also need to grow a biota layer on top, for it to work better, kinda like the basic sand filters. The biota layer is aerobic, can kill other germs, & gobble up certain other contaminants; a tray of plants as 1st filter over a sand filter, it could be better, but not above MOF. But this MOF stuff? They were hardly clear on how it really works. Guessing there will be air-intakes to bring ambient humidity in contact w/ the MOF. Gonna need an awful lot of it, in low-humidity regions, though.

[@Calvertons]

You can use a large hole clear or black plastic sheeting and a bucket to do something similar in the desert. That would be a crude version of this. Except you don’t need the special powder. Just getting the water that is in the soil to evaporate land on plastic then drip into a container.

[@degnaw]

What is the cost of the MOF? The idea is cool, but one would need an enormous quantity of the stuff (~25-40x the current experiment) to supply the 2-3L that a *single* person requires daily in desert conditions.

[@Labroidas]

I think this wouldn't be very usable in true deserts, the net gain goes up a lot if you are in a semi-arid zone with higher humidity content in the air, so you'd need less powder.

[@Chimonger1]

Yes. That is a problem! I did not like his crowing about using aluminum as the MOF, to make it cheaper…that puts high levels of aluminum into the resulting water..bad. Yes..,must factor the ambient humidity! It definitely affects how much water can come from how much MOF, or, from even electric dehumidifiers. Those living where humidity is closer to 25%, will require far bigger systems, just to get enough potable water…forget bathing, washing, or growing plants.

[@JackFou]

@@Chimonger1 They explicitly said that the water is pure and does not contain metals or other components of the MOF.

[@Chimonger1]

@@JackFou They did. …And, most folks need to understand, to do that, either means the condensation metal is coated to block ions transferring to the condensate, Or, the condensate is post-filtered to remove the metal from the condensate.

[@JackFou]

@@Chimonger1 I'm not quite sure what you're trying to say. The water molecules get absorbed into the pores of the MOF during the night. During the day, the heat from sunlight causes to water to evaporate from the pores and form condensation on the walls of the box. How exactly do you claim metal ions from inside the MOF end up in the condensate?

[@omarnazal1744]

What about the control of the system ? how you can know that;s the right time to harvest and close the intake air and heat the sorbent ? do adding mmm maybe some sensors measure how much the powder is saturated or not so many cycles can afford on a one day ...

[@mikhaelstibino]

Kull Wahad! Bless the maker and his water!

[@Laudrengen]

I love how he wears eye protection whilst using the PC :P

[@khamontotan1513]

Thanks very much Would you please guide us about Mof-303 synthesis method?

[@orlenakerek9379]

Are these on sale yet? If so where can I get one?

[@manhngo4275]

MOF is the key to your research. I have the same idea, but I can't find or fabricate the MOFs in my country.

FORMER CEO OF NESTLE Peter Brabeck-Letmathe: REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE THEY CANT DO THAT I MUST MAKE THIS ILLEGAL I CONTROL ALL WATER MINE MINE!!!!!! in all seriousness, this is fantastic now I just need to figure out how to build enough of this an never have to rely on BUYING water ever again.

[@danielcruz1976]

Would this be possible with simple salt (extracted from seawater or even from brine of desalination plants)? I know that would be much less efficient, but still, would it be possible by the same method? Thanks

[@SpryteintheAndes]

Is the system available yet for purchase?

[@Labroidas]

Something to nitpick about: 0:46 The total water content is not higher at night, as far as I know? I believe this is an inaccurate statement. The key factor here is that relative humidity is much higher at night, because temperatures drop so low in a desert. Anyway, amazing work from UC Berkeley, very interesting and promising project!

[@sajjadahmed9772]

can you tell me that how i can place ethylene glycol desiccant on the bed of desiccant system because ethylene material is in liquid form. is there any specific method for the placing ethylene glycol desiccant

[@quinlamothe5929]

...so you soak something in water and then evaporate the water out of it and collect it? How does this collect atmospheric water?

[@Sliverstormcreations]

Does it have the life sustaining minerals that water has?

[@Calvertons]

No this water would be distilled. Just pure water with no minerals.

[@MrVillabolo]

This can help out during droughts throughout the Southwestern United States.

[@benjaminpotter5710]

Solar stilling sea water is much more effecient, even that wouldnt be considered as there are much smarter and cheaper ways.

[@albertgaspa1670]

does anyone know when or where i can buy one or two of this???

[@SOWINGYANT]

Would you please give the name of the metal organic framework chemical form?

[@nobodysbusiness566]

cant you use a peltier device and put a solar panel on your device and collect a lot more water?

[@PabloCAMPOSLOPEZ]

Since only a thin layer of MOF will be needed, a large yield of water can be achieved in a relatively small space, such as a cubic meter, by placing a thousand layers in that space. On the other hand, this equipment can be configured for permanent operation, taking advantage of the energy offered by the new perovskite-based solar panels and other emerging technologies. And, even more, heating the air to increase the production of water, which can reach up to 600 grams per cubic meter of air. I am Spanish and I do not know the British-USA measurement system.

[@foc2241]

I'd like to know what how this idea / product worked out :)

[@mbburry4759]

I understand the MOF part of the idea (i think). But i do not understand the condenser part: does that part incorporate any traditional refrigeration/heatpump system, like a compressor and coils?

[@Ceeewolf]

No. When the saturated MOF is warmed by the sun its water content evaporates. The water condenses inside the cool box. news.berkeley.edu/2018/06/08/in-desert-trials-next-generation-water-harvester-delivers-fresh-water-from-air/

[@joecat916]

I hope this goes somewhere. I work scrap metal for years. I came across an unusual stand ( probably for an industrial fan) it was marked kraft cheese and made out of cast iron. It was yellow and green. I kept it as a useful item. It sat on dry shale pit. The crazy thing drew lots of moisture for some reason. I showed it to alot of people, it worked in drought. Some asshole stole it. But I'll tell you about the thing. It was weird. It actually worked!

[@muhammada7459]

around how much does this cost to make and run? Do you know?

[@jessicamartinez5499]

Start making them to test in other areas that have no water or that are losing water like make a pool side of it in those areas

[@charlesamieldionisio9981]

please educate me. how is this different from ordinary silica gel?

[@monicam.8006]

Where can I buy one to test it out?

[@r.e.m2676]

Tech like this would be amazing in places like Saudi Arabia and other gulf countries. I lived in Qatar and the humidity in the warms months, at night was almost thick enough to swim through. Then the day would be dry as a bone.

[@foc2241]

See, there this one would work quite well I can imagine :D

[@hassanshahid3206]

Can u tell us the proper procedure?

[@thomasgorges2827]

Does it taste good

[@sketch6995]

Ya I have 4 of these things running in my bud rooms......they are called DEHUMIDIFIERS. They produce up to 70 pints a day.

[@Chimonger1]

But don’t yours require hundreds of watts of electricity 🤔 …the MOF units can simply run off the heat/light from sun…low-tech.

[@sketch6995]

@@Chimonger1 actually I have a solar system with a 25 kw tesla battery.......so ya it runs off the sun.

[@Chimonger1]

@@sketch6995 Albeit using more electricity🤔

[@sketch6995]

@@Chimonger1 provided by renewable energy. Zero carbon footprint. Except for the CO2 I inject. Comes to 140 pints a day per room. That's 280 pints of water at 0 ppm. From the air.

[@Chimonger1]

@@sketch6995 Yes, I know. I get it. However, most folks cannot run a grow room w/ dehumidifiers. And, the one we bot as replacement for one missing, is junk..keeps icing-up, when used in winter (when there’s high humidity here). So, really trying to find a better, hopefully lower-tech method of condensing water from air, that can work all year, no icing-up, & get enuf H2O for potable use.

[@ariellemasters954]

How about donating and delivering a bunch of these ASAP to Sudan, Kenya, etc. where they're having massive droughts and the giraffes and people are dropping dead from lack of water and food.

[@lgbjbernal1]

where do you get the MOF-303

[@JamesBlazen]

Bring it to market.

[@zxzx191]

how much a whole glass of water might cost? and how big the device should be?

[@boguszmakowski2357]

Let's make a Tatooine-style water farm. My life would be completed.

[@Heather-xm9ul]

I live in the desert and think about Uncle Lars all the time. Moisture farming could be very lucrative here, especially if you sold to farmers and ranchers.

[@jaewok5G]

i've seen this like 40 years ago … "Luke's just not a farmer, Owen. He has too much of his father in him."

[@BobbyJ529]

@@superresistant0 star wars reference

[@FishKepr]

But you need to know Binary in order to communicate with it.

[@jaewok5G]

@@FishKepr meh, no problem. my cousin rolls through here twice a month with salvaged drones, any of them can reset to binary-comms as easy as bullseyeing swamp rats of unusual size from six furlongs

[@jpsteinberg4870]

What about leaching toxins from the materials to the water. Such as BPA or aluminum.

[@no.one.two.]

MOFs for such applications are normally pretty stable. Some can even be eaten (CD-MOF)! BPA isn't used for MOF-synthesis, you need very specific metal salts, linker molecules, solvents and sometimes templates. Excess solvent molecules are completely removed from the pores, mostly by just heating the MOF.

[@BC4COLTS]

If there was more humidity in the air, would the results be different on the amount of water collected?

[@williambianchi2006]

Yes. The higher the humidity, the greater the harvest, assuming there is enough powder to absorb it. I think that's why they said to expose the powder to air at night, when humidity rises, then lock the cover during the day, so when the sun evaporates the moisture from the powder the "mist" collects into droplets and falls to the bottom.

[@spring8521]

Can you create a box large enough, with enough MOF to help combat forest fires?

[@SuperDocCox]

For 50 billion you bet you can!

[@pgraphics]

I guess that moisture vaporator does not require a patch-in droid to operate.

[@connectropy]

Update?

[@agnesschubert8247]

What would be the lowest humidity needed for this to work? And, as Jim Ewok already commented, the water that is extracted from the air is eventually missing to the ecosystem somewhere else. Imagine for example cacti, that rely on some air humidty to survive. I'm not saying here that plant live should be valued more than human life, but I'm asking if anyone considered the full impact.

[@Ceeewolf]

I seem to recollect the humidity needs to be =>20%, but it may be even lower. Remember humidity will rise as the temp drops in the evening making the water vapor more available. So even if the humidity at 100F is 5% or 10%, it will rise significantly as the temp drops.

[@Chimonger1]

Wait…using aluminum as the MOF? Won’t that result in high aluminum in the resulting water? Also, you poured water into the MOF. But in a desert, where would the water come from, to saturate the MOF? Is the MOF hydrophilic, so, grabs humidity? Is this system supposed to container-replicate the ancient tech of digging a hole in the ground, placing a container in center at bottom of hole, & placing a cone-membrane over the hole, directed at the cup, to collect “dew” rising from the earth?

[@dr.shantaramhegde48]

In the process of extracting water from air, cons may be more than pros. Many people have put forth their views. Added to that, very important one is, this can't work in arid regions, actually where it's needed. Secondly, if it is done in large scale, humidity levels of the air in a region is drastically reduced.

[@georgiamule]

As this technology expands, will it cause lower humidity in arid areas?

[@PabloCAMPOSLOPEZ]

The wind will cause moist air to mix with dry air. On the other hand, there are studies that claim that the humidity of the air is replenished every few days. It should not be forgotten that the more moisture that is removed from the atmosphere, the more positive it will be for the earth, since clouds are the cause of the greenhouse effect. Thinking that the application of this technology can harm the environment, I think it is a serious mistake. We are going to solve the very serious problems of hunger and thirst in the world and then, we will see...

[@kebman]

I want illiquid water please! Can only be produced in desert environments in conjunction with copious amounts of C2H6O.

[@Qbert011]

Omg. You could make a stillsuit.

[@PedroRodrigues-my2ji]

Watching my water bottle sweating brought me here

[@iva4856]

Of course, six years later and you don't hear about this anywhere. Wouldn't want to bring down the cost of water usage.

[@shaliniraghupatruni4324]

What is the Size of the MOF used?

[@jimpk1]

I hope this device can replace the water tank on the roof of our building.

[@adoptakittytoday1895]

Okay, now can you use a satellite to move water out of our flood areas into the water-deprived countries? Cone, heat, evaporation, relocation, freezing then depositing into a specific area...

[@SammytheStampede]

I want one.

[@dailyblackheads]

Amazing idea

[@shiningone2878]

Not really. People have used fog catchers forever.

[@NikolasNatt-Lawson]

If you could make it smaller, divide it to the original size, place a solar panel and connect it to a AC motor that's used to harvest the water, you'd get alot more water faster

[@Chimonger1]

What about this… Use one or more black, air-intake tubes, positioned at an angle up towards the MOF? Sun heats black tubes, creates air movement connecting upwards towards the MOF surface. Heated ambient air tries to dry out the humidity, right where it enters the box, for the MOF to grab it…? No fans needed. Still “low tech”. But, running a regular dehumidifier (several hundred watts electric), on solar panels can be done, too. Then can Berkey filter the condensed water. Unless you are in a higher latitude that has too much cloudage in winter months.

[@golden-63]

*Congratulations for inventing...the DEHUMIDIFIER!*

[@ivanthekingiii9857]

I love it! It can help so many people in the desert! Now when you go to the desert, you only need a box and some powders! :D

[@jaewok5G]

… or; hear me out on this … stay where the water _is_ and not try to live in the least hospitable places on earth.

[@vardrids]

@@jaewok5G genius

[@jaewok5G]

@@vardrids my preacher has a lot a great ideas. kzbin.info/www/bejne/jHyxoH1od9-GiLc

[@gloriazenaidasantosarana8233]

Extraordinario; por servicio alguien podría traducir en español

[@rjvtechnologies]

how to capture water from air humidity in the desert using just a shovel and 20 litres of water : make a perfect circle hole of 30 centimetres radius and 2 meters deep. water proof the hole by mirror plastering with mud the floor and walls of the whole build a 2 meters tall wall around the hole where each level encloses the radius of the hole, the wall is not strait but in a chape of a curved funnel, the inside walls are also mirror plastered with mud. how it works: this shape creates small vortexes within the " cone-hole" the ground surrounding the hole is dryer than the concentrated air within the cone by osmose h2O molecules will pass over to the ground until the max hydration point of the mud which by then becomes saturated and semi-impermeable and water will start collecting at the bottom the "cone-hole" can be used as a well or just a ground water collector

[@jaewok5G]

seriously, awesome invention, but considering how delicate a desert biosystem is and how the flora n fauna are engaged in this same process, would an installation of any useful size in an area of water-stress just exacerbate the situation for everything not drinking from your shot glass? - at least on this planet

[@tinaleanne8230]

Everything we do has an affect on the ecosystems wait . . . we are part of the ecosystem so in actuality, we cannot affect the ecosystem anymore than the plants can in the same ecosystem. To the fanatic liberals that scream against tech like this: It comes down to "do you want a drink of water or death?"

[@lovetownsend]

Watching Pitch Black right now, they on desert planet with a device that does this... googled to see if it was a real thing... here I am lol

[@loneforest6541]

This is good but does not look like cheap option. fog harvester still better option in desert

[@gamerzone3211]

Is atmospheric water harvesting responsible for no rain? Removing water from air through nets or machine can change the atmosphere. This technology is gaining momentum in many countries. Rainfall is delayed in many countries.

[@Schiggyyy]

If it's 100 % pure, then why does he fake drinking it at 1:57? BUSTED

[@richardjohnson7032]

because 100% pure water will kill you. google it if you don't believe me.

[@RandyJames22]

curiosity.com/topics/you-should-not-drink-ultra-pure-water-its-dangerous-curiosity/

[@RandyJames22]

I guess that guy in the video will die...eventually.

[@Drosera420]

Yeah, if you drink it exclusively for fucking months on end...

[@danklyf4202]

Wait, this will KILL a mofo? Wtf? Then why the fuck he post this shit? This sum stupid bullshit in this video yo. So basically the water is useless? Foh

[@purplepill2024]

This is stupid, Thunderf00t has already covered this. It has nothing to do with economy of scale - your issue is that it's going to be crazy expensive even with mass production. Yes, anybody can create water from air, if you provide enough energy to force 2-H and 1-O together. So it falls into 3 questions: 1) How much is the device gonna cost? 2) How long will it take? That grad student drank about 4 oz of water, he needs another 60 oz - if he doesn't get water from any other source for the day.

[@basilekidi1580]

Wow. This is great!!!

[@domiblack2169]

Thanks, nowadays desert are flooding

[@icywindow458]

Great idea, but what do you do about tyrannical governments that want to control who gets water 💧? They will not let certain people have it. Those who oppose the tyranny they are subjected to.

[@MacChuck]

Why not run a solar powered humidifier instead?

[@grahamfairbanks3407]

That would be too simple, these guys have to justify expenditure for their PHD's and research development costs.

[@danklyf4202]

That's genius bro😲👍.

[@mepjmebo5008]

you meant dehumidifier?

[@mepjmebo5008]

it will be costly at end.

[@Клубздоровьяидолголетия]

Уважение Капустину и его коллегам!

[@yutuniopati]

Or you can just run a dehumidifier, with all the "free" energy you get from desert, this will not kill you...

[@jignamehta4127]

Is it patented ???

[@golden-63]

IT's a dehumidifier

[@vinishshetty8055]

I am standing in the desert early in the morning holding a syringe with a needle and squeegee.

[@sohrabmali1112]

Thanks information

[@i.n.2899]

Thunderfoot is on his way

[@thienvietpham8126]

Is it safe to drink, the scientist is brave🎉

[@melissareeder99]

California should put these up and down the coast.

[@kaynebrookes9592]

Couldn't you just collect the night dew?

[@jakeryker546]

It's just a non-toxic dessicant? xD

[@greganikin7003]

When Russians abroad they succeed! Congratulations on the greatest invention guys! I think Russia needs to support their scientists rather than make them want to leave the country!

[@henrikstryhn]

Why not, not live in the desert if it's not possible to live there?

[@ranahawlader9993]

HFJEfde.

[@user-py2er3co2k]

Cost to efficiency is the primary concern in supplying water to 3rd world countries. If this cost a years worth of income to someone or requires 50 of them for 5 people its not worth the investment and provides nothing of value.

[@MrDhartz]

My Aircondition produces 2 gallons of water in 2 hours

[@Stuff_happens]

But your lab is not in a desert. And there is no way to ensure bacteria wouldn’t grow in the water. You know, sand storms, wind.

[@WanieB]

This is great an all, a dream come true in a lot of places around the world however....if governments cant tax its production it will never be allowed to be a product to the mass market.

[@amyhazelvang7198]

Mars here we come!!!!!!

[@normlor8109]

IF YOU HAVE A (PRIVATE) SITE WHERE I CAN GIVE MY IDEA I HAVE HAD FOR DECADES FOR PRODUCING MILLIONS OF GALLONS OF FRESH WATER DAILY ANYWHERE ON EARTH, LET ME KNOW??

[@stargilbert9278]

I'm setting up a website for self-reliance and am interested in your idea- Please email me at : urock at springsips dor com thx