Finally we have something for the general masses. Amazing work Whisson! Water is a common chemical substance that is essential to all known forms of life. Common, but scarce! Here is something for the developing countries in particular, a device called Max Water which can convert air into water. Most of the developing economies are agrarian, water serves the main ingredient, but the backdrop remains their dependence on monsoons. Sometimes it works and ‘mostly’ it doesn’t! There is an easy way to get water out of the air: cool that air down. Think of the water that condenses on a cold glass, or drips from an air conditioner. Whisson’s idea was to recreate this effect on a larger scale.
Max water cools the air without using any outside energy. It is a sort of a mutant windmill. Wind blows through a set of turbines which then power a series of refrigerated plates. As the air passes over these plates, water condenses onto them and drips down into a collection tank, where it can be used for anything from drinking to irrigation. The plates, modeled on the lotus leaf, shed water quickly by forcing it to bead and roll, rather than drip and slide off, clearing the way for more water to condense on the cooled surface.
The prototype also uses solar panels to run the compressor and keep the plates cool. Optimizing its usage will largely depend on how well one uses the local conditions. Whisson is confident that a single unit will provide enough water for three or four households, extracting valuable water in even the driest of climates. “What we’re working towards is that a farm or community could buy or lease one of these devices and provide all the water they need,” Whisson says.
Via: PlentyMag
