The extraction of water from the air has been an age-old practice across several regional pockets including South America and the Middle East and Africa. Contemporary day researchers are on the quest to rejuvenate this traditional practice for water harvesting by inventing a battery that can extract up to 10 gallons of water on an hourly basis from the air. The main reasons behind the shortage of water in the contemporary times include droughts, climate change, groundwater depletion, and industrial pollution. The researchers assert that the new method would help in harvesting water and sufficing the needs of the current generation. The results of the research are due to be presented at the a national meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS).

 Drawing Inspiration from China

A research scientists revealed that he observed the water harvesting techniques schemes in China, and despite huge-scale investments, the efforts seemed incomplete to him. He further stated that wholesome harvesting of water requires a more pragmatic, prudent, and reliable approach. Hence, the use of the water particles suspended in the atmosphere is a viable option for harvesting large amounts of water. The newly introduced technique is expected to harvest water even in arid and semi-arid regions.

 Using Electrospun Polymers

The use electrical forces in order to spin polymer fibres of different sizes and ranges helped the researchers in reaching employable results. It helped them in improving the efficiency of their operations and generating large amounts of water for harvesting. It is expected that the research would be a launch pad for more developments in the domain of water harvesting.