Adsorption-Based Atmospheric Water Harvesting: Technology Fundamentals and Energy-Efficient Adsorbents

Abstract

Nowadays, atmospheric water harvesting (AWH) became very essential to provide fresh potable water. This technique is in practice since 1900 (US661944A) by Edger S. Belden. Atmospheric water is a source of freshwater with 13000 trillion liters availability of water at any time and can be utilized in overcoming water shortage, especially in arid and rural areas. It holds up the water molecules in the form of vapors and accounts for adding 10% of all freshwater present on the earth. Mainly, the two most common methods have been used for the extraction of atmospheric water. First, the ambient air is cooled below the dew point temperature, and second in which the moisture in atmospheric air is adsorbed/absorbed using desiccant materials. Conventional vapor compression, thermoelectric cooling, dew, and fog water harvesting based systems/technologies possess some limits in terms of energy requirements, less efficiency, and high cost. However, the adsorption based AWH technology is relatively cheaper, environment friendly, and can be operated by a low-grade thermal energy source. The limited availability of commercial instruments to harvest atmospheric water using adsorbents indicates a lack of fundamental studies. The fundamental research on water adsorption, adsorption kinetics, regeneration conditions, and water collecting surface designs has not gained as much interest as required in the field of atmospheric water harvesting. In this regard, this book chapter discusses and presents the progress in the field of adsorbent materials and system designs along with the future directions to accelerate the commercialization of this technology.

Enhanced atmospheric water harvesting efficiency through green-synthesized MOF-801: a comparative study with solvothermal synthesis

“…However, these methods heavily rely on the presence of liquid water sources and face significant limitations in regions that are landlocked 5 , 6 . It is a well-established fact that freshwater on Earth also includes water vapor present in the atmosphere, amounting to a total of 15 trillion liters 7 , 8 . Surprisingly, even in landlocked regions, a significant amount of water vapor exists.…”

Adsorption-based atmospheric water harvesting: A review of adsorbents and systems

“…By comparison, adsorption-based AWH technology offers a relatively cost-effective, environment-friendly, decentralized technique that operates with low-grade thermal energy. To date, adsorption-based AWH has gained renewed interest by researchers and practitioners due to its adaptability and mobility [18][19][20][21]. Primarily, this review presents the most updated view regarding the adsorption-based AWH technologies on both system design and the adsorbent materials.…”

Physicochemical Investigation of Rainfall for Managed Aquifer Recharge in Punjab (Pakistan)

“…In Brazil, Ghisi et al [4,5] showed that the use of rainwater could potentially result in a 92% peak saving in potable water use. Additional potential sources of harvesting potable water from different sources include atmospheric water harvesting and other sources [6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22]. Gitte and Pendke [23] studied water conservation practices, water table fluctuations, and groundwater recharge in watershed areas.…”