We can have an endless, but not infinite, supply of safe drinking water if we could only extract the water in the air we breathe.
Wiping Air with a Sponge or an Eraser
This extraction of water can be visualized as a gizmo that acts like a sponge or a chalkboard eraser when we move it in the air where we need to extract safe water.
This gizmo would "clean" the air around us of water molecules, with the same motion that we use to wipe a blackboard clean of chalk!
Later, once the gizmo fills up with extracted water, we could squeeze out (literally speaking) this water.
Luckily, materials that may be very suitable for just such an action already exist.
MOFs - Metal-Organic Frameworks
MOFs are structures consisting of organic molecules and metal ions. The organic molecules hold metal ions in a 3-D grid pattern that is porous to another, a third, material.
The structures can have virtually any 3-D configuration - the configuration essentially depends upon the organic molecules and the metal ions that comprise the structure.
As we may also expect, the combination of organic molecules and metal ions define what materials will be absorbed by a specific structure.
Cavity size, number of cavities and absorption rates can also all be controlled.
Water Absorption
Chemistry of organic molecules can, in the presence of moisture and under different ambient temperatures, get compromised but a list of water-stable combinations have been developed. The focus, however, has been on using MOFs for energy applications like hydrogen and other gas absorption, storage and release.
All that remains is to focus this research on water absorption, storage and release!
A local supply of safe drinking water using a MOF that extracts moisture from the air we breathe can be a reality in our very near future!
Wiping Air with a Sponge or an Eraser
 |
| Source - redbookmag.com |
This gizmo would "clean" the air around us of water molecules, with the same motion that we use to wipe a blackboard clean of chalk!
Later, once the gizmo fills up with extracted water, we could squeeze out (literally speaking) this water.
Luckily, materials that may be very suitable for just such an action already exist.
MOFs - Metal-Organic Frameworks
 |
| Source - ucla.edu |
 |
| Source - labroots.com |
The structures can have virtually any 3-D configuration - the configuration essentially depends upon the organic molecules and the metal ions that comprise the structure.
As we may also expect, the combination of organic molecules and metal ions define what materials will be absorbed by a specific structure.
Cavity size, number of cavities and absorption rates can also all be controlled.
Water Absorption
Chemistry of organic molecules can, in the presence of moisture and under different ambient temperatures, get compromised but a list of water-stable combinations have been developed. The focus, however, has been on using MOFs for energy applications like hydrogen and other gas absorption, storage and release.
All that remains is to focus this research on water absorption, storage and release!
A local supply of safe drinking water using a MOF that extracts moisture from the air we breathe can be a reality in our very near future!
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