A solar-driven atmospheric water extractor for off-grid freshwater generation and irrigation

Kaijie Yang, Tingting Pan, Nadia Farhat, Alejandra Ibarra Felix, Rebekah E. Waller, Pei-Ying Hong, Johannes S. Vrouwenvelder, Qiaoqiang Gan () and Yu Han ()
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Kaijie Yang: King Abdullah University of Science and Technology
Tingting Pan: King Abdullah University of Science and Technology
Nadia Farhat: King Abdullah University of Science and Technology
Alejandra Ibarra Felix: King Abdullah University of Science and Technology
Rebekah E. Waller: King Abdullah University of Science and Technology
Pei-Ying Hong: King Abdullah University of Science and Technology
Johannes S. Vrouwenvelder: King Abdullah University of Science and Technology
Qiaoqiang Gan: King Abdullah University of Science and Technology
Yu Han: King Abdullah University of Science and Technology

Nature Communications, 2024, vol. 15, issue 1, 1-9

Abstract: Abstract Solar-driven atmospheric water extraction (SAWE) is a sustainable technology for decentralized freshwater supply. However, most SAWE systems produce water intermittently due to the cyclic nature, with adoption hindered by complex design requirements or periodic manual operations. Herein, a fully passive SAWE system that can continuously produce freshwater under sunlight is presented. By optimizing the three-dimensional architecture to facilitate spontaneous mass transport and efficient energy utilization, this system can consistently produce 0.65 L m−2 h−1 of freshwater under 1-sun illumination at 90% relative humidity (RH) and functions in arid environments with an RH as low as 40%. We test the practical performance of a scaled-up system in Thuwal, Saudi Arabia over 35 days across two seasons. The system produces 2.0–3.0 L m−2 per day of freshwater during the summer and 1.0–2.8 L m−2 per day of freshwater during the fall, without requiring additional maintenance. Intriguingly, we demonstrate the system’s potential for off-grid irrigation by successfully growing cabbage plants using atmospheric water. This passive SAWE system, harnessing solar energy to continuously extract moisture from air for drinking and irrigation, offers a promising solution to address the intertwined challenges of energy, water, and food supply, particularly for remote and water-scarce regions.

Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-50715-0

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