Water is a necessity for human beings, but still clean & drinkable water is very hard to get. Almost one-third of the world's population is water stressed and the discovery of the water box is a giant leap in the right direction to reduce that number. Researchers from all over the world are still looking for a method to do this kind of discovery but the ones working in the Berkeley University of California have found a way to build an apparatus which can suck water from dry air of desserts. So in this blog, we are going to take a look at some of the aspects of this box.
Scientific working
Professor Omar Yaghi is a chemist and he has created a metal-organic framework or MOF which absorbs and emits water on the behavior of the surrounding temperature. MOF is basically a powder made of tiny crystals which absorbs water when the surrounding temperature decreases and releases it when the temperature increases.
Practical working
A box of about two feet per side size is assembled with a layer of MOF on top of that which is exposed to the surrounding air. They observed that every night when temperature decreases and humidity increases water gets trapped in the MOF layer. In the morning because of sun's heat, the water gets emitted from MOF and it condenses on the sides of the box. A lid is covering the box to protect the condensed water from evaporation. As of now, one night's experiment can produce 3 ounces or 89ml of water. This box operates at ambient temperature with ambient sunlight and without any additional energy requirements
Future of this box
We all know that 89ml is not enough for more than a few sips but Omar Yaghi is aware of that fact and is currently testing the next generation of MOF. Currently, the MOF uses zirconium but an aluminum-based MOF is already in the works. Scientists are saying that it will cost 99% less and will produce twice as much water. With this box, you can collect water even in dessert. The aluminum MOF will make this a practical solution with its efficiency and low cost. There are already commercial products in development. Yaghi is also planning to do more tests with mechanical improvements and new MOF in the hottest months of the summer.
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