KarunaNews Story

A sponge-like gel made from food scraps and other natural materials can draw moisture from air even in dry conditions, providing a sustainable way to produce drinkable water for low cost. As Earth’s atmosphere contains more than all the volume of water in the world’s rivers, researchers have been devising materials and technologies to harvest this atmospheric water vapor. Materials scientist and engineer Guihua Yu and colleagues from the University of Texas at Austin made hydrogels from three carbohydrate molecules: cellulose and starch derived from plants, and chitosan, a compound found in crustacean shells. In a real-world test, each kilogram generated 14.19 liters of clean water daily. The team is now trying to make the hydrogel on a large scale.