Current Affairs - Miscellaneous - Discussion

Researchers led by Guihua Yu from the University of Texas (UT) at Austin, USA have developed a novel solar-powered harvesting system that absorbs moisture from the air and converts it into clean, usable water. The technology is described in the journal Advanced Materials and could be used in disaster situations, water crises or poverty-stricken areas and developing countries.Access to clean water remains one of the biggest challenges facing humankind and this breakthrough innovation may offer a new solution through solar-powered technology that absorbs moisture from the air and returns it as clean, usable water.It relies on hydrogels, gel-polymer hybrid materials designed to be "super sponges" that can retain large amounts of water. The researchers used hydrogels that are both highly water absorbent and can release water upon heating.With an estimated 50,000 cubic kilometers of water contained in the atmosphere, this new system could tap into those reserves and potentially lead to small, inexpensive and portable filtration systems.