Researchers at The University of Texas at Austin have demonstrated a low-cost gel membrane that can extract several liters of water per day from very dry air. The gel consists of two very cheap and common main ingredients – cellulose from plant cell walls and konjac gum, a widely used food additive. The two ingredients work together to form a gel film that absorbs moisture from the air and releases it on demand without much energy. First, the porous structure of the gel condenses water from the surrounding air. Meanwhile, cellulose is designed to become hydrophobic under mild heat, releasing trapped water. In tests, the gel film was able to capture a surprising amount of water from the air. At 30% relative humidity, each kilogram of gel produces 13 liters (3.4 gallons) of water per day, and even if the humidity drops to 15% — which is low even for desert air — per kilogram of gel The glue can still produce more than 6 liters (1.6 gallons) of water. The team said the efficiency of the new gel film could be improved even further by making thicker films, absorber beds, or other forms of material arrays. Perhaps most importantly, the material is extremely cheap to produce, costing as little as $2 per kilogram.
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