The prominent chemist extracted 1000 liters of water from the air with porous technology!

The Nobel Prize winner built a device that extracts 1000 liters of water from the air every day. This technology is a new solution to deal with the water shortage crisis in the world.

Professor Omar Yaghi, an eminent chemist and winner of the Wolf Prize in Chemistry, is developing a new technology to solve the problem of water scarcity in arid regions. Using advanced materials called metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), this device absorbs moisture from the air and turns it into drinking water.

New water extraction technology with metal-organic frameworks

Professor Omar Yaghi, a prominent researcher at the University of California, Berkeley and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, is a pioneer in the development of amazing materials called metal-organic frameworks. These porous and crystalline materials act like super absorbent sponges and are able to absorb large amounts of water vapor from the air. Then, using low heat, which is mainly provided by solar energy, they release the absorbed water in liquid form. This innovative approach is a sustainable solution for water supply in areas that do not have access to fresh water sources.

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1000 liter capacity and global perspective

The latest generation of water extraction device developed by Professor Yaghi’s team has the capacity to produce 1000 liters of clean water per day. This dramatic improvement represents a tremendous improvement in efficiency compared to prototypes that produced 1 kg of water per 1 kg of MOF.

This technology works not only in areas with high humidity, but also in conditions with lower relative humidity (10-40%) and produces drinking water at a much lower cost than current water purification methods. The ultimate goal is decentralized water production for domestic use and small communities around the world.