MIT Engineers Develop Revolutionary Superabsorbent Hydrogel That Can Harvest Water From Desert Air
Image: Gustav Graeber and Carlos D. Díaz-Marín In a new study published in the journal Nature Materials, engineers at MIT have developed a superabsorbent hydrogel that can absorb an unprecedented amount of moisture from the air, even in desert-like conditions. The material, which is infused with lithium chloride, can hold up to 200 times its weight in water, and it can do so even when the relative humidity is as low as 30%. This makes the hydrogel a potential game-changer for water harvesting in arid regions. Currently, the most common way to harvest water from the air is through the use of atmospheric water generators (AWGs). AWGs work by cooling air below its dew point, causing the water vapor to condense and form liquid water. However, AWGs are expensive and require a significant amount of energy to operate. The MIT hydrogel, on the other hand, is relatively inexpensive and easy to produce. It can also be used in a passive manner, meaning that it does not require any ext...