#awg

I've been writing here for awhile about atmospheric-water-generation - basically, getting water by pulling it out of the air. For the past few years, the main focus has been on the materials (e.g. MOFs) that pull water out of the air. That's been incredibly promising (and not just for water - but other gases as well, such as co2).

But there's another component: Once the material absorbs the water, it has to be released from the "sponge" material to be gathered. Traditionally, designs have relied on heat differences; either a single sun/day cycle or, more commonly, an embedded cooling element that allows for multiple cycles a day. As the material cools down, the water drips out. When it's done, the material warms back up and repeats the cycle.

This new device in the article builds on that last part - but instead of using heat differences to get the water out of the material, it uses ultrasound. The researchers say its 45x more efficient. I really hope that's the case.

Personally, I see AWG as a BIG next step for water sustainability. It would basically allow us to produce water anywhere we have electricity. That's a very big deal. It has applications from farming, to data centers, to everyday infrastructure (esp in developing or war-torn areas) and more. That said, while it may already be useful in niche applications, advances like these can help make them more generally economical, which is really needed before we see widespread deployment.

Color me SHOCKED when I went to listen to Tell Me I’m Alive for the first time and I’m like… is this a breakup/divorce album???