Fresh Water from Ocean Air - New Innovation

Hydrogel Invention from Singapore to Harvest Fresh Water from Ocean Air

Source:  Stock Ocean Image

Huge Water Resource

Scientists from the National University of Singapore have invented a system to pull fresh water out of ocean air.  They've developed a hydrogel using a zinc based material that is able to absorb more than four time its weight in water.  Huge amounts of water evaporate every day from the ocean, lakes, rivers and reservoirs.  The team in Singapore has found an innovative way to harvest the water in the humid surface air above the water surface.

Secret Ingredient - Sunlight

The system has been successfully tested.  The team put the gel in devices floating on the ocean surface where it collected water vapor created during evaporation.  By placing the gel in a glass container in sunlight, fresh water was created and harvested.  The salt content in the water was negligible.

Renewable, Reusable Energy

Rather than relying on electricity, the new hydrogel relies on sunlight.  It releases stored water when heated to 113 to 122 degrees F and can be reused more than 1000 times.  The Singapore scientists say they are ready to take this into commercial development.