Super-Absorbent Gel Extracts Water From Desert Air

Scientists from the University of Texas at Austin appear to have moved this needle in a positive direction. Materials engineers Youhong Guo and Weixin Guan led a project that ultimately produced a highly-absorbent, low-cost gel capable of pulling water from desert air. According to a press release from UT, the gel can “produce more than 6 liters of water per day in areas with less than 15 percent relative humidity.”

The gel is intentionally made up of abundant materials in order to remain accessible to a wider range of communities. It’s made up of renewable cellulose and konjac gum, a cooking ingredient derived from a Japanese root vegetable. Together, these materials create a hydrophilic, or water-attracting, base. Once the gel attracts water from the surrounding atmosphere, the konjac gum captures the attracted water and holds it in its pores. The cellulose—which becomes hydrophobic when heated—can then release the water on demand. The result is a relatively simple and low-energy gel film that, at just $2 a kilogram, could help gather up clean drinking water in seemingly desolate climates.

If you’re experiencing a touch of deja vu, it might be because we covered a similar hydrophilic gel system out of Saudi Arabia nearly a month ago. That gel, while capable of extracting water from surrounding air, was designed to sit on the backs of solar panels and act as an output-increasing coolant. The resulting system produced both electricity and clean water, but its water-gathering capabilities were slower than what Guo and Guan’s team has designed.

The team says the design is both scalable and easy to implement on an individual level. “This is not something you need an advanced degree to use,” said Guo in the release. “It’s straightforward enough that anyone can make it at home if they have the materials.” The gel is also customizable, as it’s flexible enough to be molded or layered to increase output.

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