Atmospheric water generator

State-of-the-art AWG for home use.

An atmospheric water generator (AWG), is a device that extracts water from humid ambient air, producing potable water. Water vapor in the air can be extracted either by condensation - cooling the air below its dew point, exposing the air to desiccants, using membranes that only pass water vapor, collecting fog,[1] or pressurizing the air. AWGs are useful where potable water is difficult to obtain, because water is always present in ambient air.

AWG may require significant energy inputs, or operate passively, relying on natural temperature differences. Biomimicry studies found that the Onymacris unguicularis beetle has the ability to perform this task.[2]

One study reported that AWGs could help provide potable water to one billion people.[3][4][5]

  1. ^ Rao, Akshay K.; Fix, Andrew J.; Yang, Yun Chi; Warsinger, David M. (2022). "Thermodynamic limits of atmospheric water harvesting". Energy & Environmental Science. 15 (10). Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC): 4025–4037. doi:10.1039/d2ee01071b. ISSN 1754-5692. S2CID 252252878.
  2. ^ Nørgaard, Thomas; Dacke, Marie (2010-07-16). "Fog-basking behaviour and water collection efficiency in Namib Desert Darkling beetles". Frontiers in Zoology. 7 (1): 23. doi:10.1186/1742-9994-7-23. ISSN 1742-9994. PMC 2918599. PMID 20637085.
  3. ^ Yirka, Bob. "Model suggests a billion people could get safe drinking water from hypothetical harvesting device". Tech Xplore. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
  4. ^ "Solar-powered harvesters could produce clean water for one billion people". Physics World. 13 November 2021. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
  5. ^ Lord, Jackson; Thomas, Ashley; Treat, Neil; Forkin, Matthew; Bain, Robert; Dulac, Pierre; Behroozi, Cyrus H.; Mamutov, Tilek; Fongheiser, Jillia; Kobilansky, Nicole; Washburn, Shane; Truesdell, Claudia; Lee, Clare; Schmaelzle, Philipp H. (October 2021). "Global potential for harvesting drinking water from air using solar energy". Nature. 598 (7882): 611–617. Bibcode:2021Natur.598..611L. doi:10.1038/s41586-021-03900-w. ISSN 1476-4687. PMC 8550973. PMID 34707305. S2CID 238014057.