Texas engineers develop jacket that converts air into drinking water

Engineers have developed a jacket that can convert water vapor in the air into drinking water.

A team of University of Texas engineers developed the jacket as part of their broader breakthrough AirGel, a technology that uses hydrogel material and solar energy.

“Water scarcity threatens two-thirds of the global population, underscoring the urgent need for sustainable and accessible clean water solutions,” the researchers wrote. Science Advances report on the development of a field-portable, solar-powered, water harvesting device.

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“AirGel provides a complementary solution to existing water treatment systems,” Yaxuan Zhao, one of the UT researchers who developed the technology, said in a UT press release. “It can produce water using only air and sunlight and deliver water directly to the point of need.”

“This is different from a centralized system, which may need to transport water long distances, increasing cost and energy demand,” he continued.

“Because our system is portable, modular, and relies solely on solar energy, it can be used in many applications such as outdoor recreation, home or community needs, and even disaster relief.”

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The wearable prototype could be valuable for soldiers, emergency responders and others who spend time in remote outdoor environments, the researchers said.

The jacket produced approximately 14 to 30 ounces of water, depending on moisture levels.

“The fabric absorbs moisture from the air, then releases it when heated by sunlight so the water can condense and collect,” the news release stated.

According to the researchers, in tests the wearable prototype jacket proved to be a much less bulky, more efficient and portable method of collecting water compared to traditional materials that usually include a box or panel.

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The jacket produces approximately 14 to 30 ounces of water, depending on humidity levels, which equates to a three- to 10-fold increase in performance compared to other materials, the statement said.

The material used in the new water collection jacket pictured absorbs moisture from the air, releases it when heated by the sun, then condenses and collects the water. (University of Texas at Austin)

The research team used the same technology in a separate device that “pulled record amounts of drinking water from the air in the hot, arid climate of New Mexico’s Chihuahuan Desert and the more humid environment of Austin,” the news release said.

“The important advance here is that the team has not made another material that simply absorbs water,” co-author Keith Johnston, co-author and chair professor of the Cockrell School of Engineering’s McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering, said in a statement.

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“They designed a way for water to move rapidly from vapor in the air to liquid on the fiber surface and from there to the textile. This transport design allows the material to work not only in a small laboratory test, but also in a wearable system.”

UT’s research commercialization unit, Discovery to Impact, has a patent on the technology and is considering using it in other outdoor equipment such as tents and a variety of other applications.

Hikers, campers and other outdoor enthusiasts can take advantage of new technology that uses a special fabric to produce drinking water. (iStock)

Zhao and fellow graduate researcher Weixin Guan won international innovation awards for the AirGel technology, which received a Patent Acceleration Certificate from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, UT reported.

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“[We] We hope to send AirGel to places around the world that need water most; here we can take AirGel one step closer to practical application by further studying their field performance and cost effectiveness,” said Guan.