Water Harvesting: Western US Have Demonstrated Alternative Ways To Have Access To Water During Megadrought

The researchers' innovative platform addresses a critical issue in water harvesting: collected water droplets form a thermal barrier that limits additional condensation; thus, they must be removed from the surface as quickly as possible to allow a way for more collecting.

The team solved this issue by creating a platform with a distinct shape.

They carve a number of mushroom-like tunnels into the collecting surface, each one smaller in diameter than a human hair so that some of the surface material overhangs each channel.

Droplets that gather on the surface are absorbed into the channels, but the mushroom design prevents the water from returning to the initial collection surface. Water is collected using these canals.

Researchers' flow platform advances water harvesting technology

(Photo : FARSHAD USYAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Summer's megadrought in the Western United States, as well as the failure of a Mississippi water treatment facility, have highlighted the necessity for alternative water supplies amid shortages, as per ScienceDaily.

Harvesting water from the air is one solution to water scarcity. Dr. Xianming "Simon" Dai, assistant professor of mechanical engineering at The University of Texas at Dallas' Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science, is developing technology that will allow anyone to have an affordable, portable device that can access water anywhere, at any time, and with no external energy.

Dai and his colleagues have enhanced that technique by creating a unique platform to speed up the harvesting process.

The platform was proven in a paper published online on August 29 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

A unique flow-separation slippery surface built on the foundation of Dai's past work in 2018 to extract water from fog and air is critical to the platform's success.

The hydrophilic slippery liquid-infused porous surface (SLIPS), inspired by rice leaves and pitcher plants that can trap and route water droplets, has a unique water-absorbing feature that helps direct water droplets into the channels.

 SLIPS are also used to line the channels, which prevents fluids from backwashing onto the original collection surface.

"The surface tension force transfers the liquid from the collection surface into the channel, which is beneficial for continuous water harvesting," Dai explained.

"The mushroom-like canals are remarkable in that they contain the liquid."

The technology has a wide range of applications, including military applications.

Dai was awarded a Young Investigator Program funding from the Army Study Office in 2019 to further the research, which is also financed by the National Science Foundation.

"Soldiers need to be able to drink water no matter where they are," Dai said. "A decentralized water harvesting technique is required."

Because the device eliminates moisture from the air, he believes it might be valuable in food production and other situations requiring humidity management.

Dai's team is working to improve the technology and make a bigger effect.

Also Read: Scientists Provide New Solutions on Collecting Water Out of Thin Air

Rainwater Harvesting

Water-stressed areas of the world were able to fight the problem by capturing what little rainwater they got, as per Conserve Energy Future.

This gradually expanded to locations where there was a lot of rain. As a consequence, a contemporary rainwater collection system was installed.

The process's concept is straightforward. Rainwater is collected when it falls on the soil, stored, and used later.

It may be purified to make drinking water, used for everyday purposes, and even used in large-scale enterprises.

In a nutshell, rainwater harvesting is the process of collecting, purifying, storing, and utilizing rainwater for irrigation and other uses.

Many people throughout the world use rainwater collection devices to lessen their usage of groundwater.

This technique has been prevalent for thousands of years and is rapidly expanding.

In regions where there is an abundance of rain, the extra precipitation can be used to replenish groundwater using artificial recharge techniques.

The Benefits of Rainwater Harvesting

The use of a rainwater collecting system delivers various benefits to the community. For starters, gathering rainwater helps us to better utilize an energy resource.

It is critical to do so since drinking water is not easily renewable, and it aids in waste reduction. Rainwater collecting systems are based on simple technologies.

Rainwater collecting offers a self-sufficient water source in areas where clean water is expensive or difficult to get.

Rainwater collecting is an important source of clean water that improves the amount of potable drinking water available.

Water collected by the rainwater collecting system may also be used for a variety of non-drinking purposes. This results in significant savings in utility bills for many homes and small companies.

Related article: Desert Beetles, Cacti and Pitcher Plants Inspire New Water Harvesting Techniques