According to BGR report, researchers at the University of Texas at Austin have created a water collecting gel that can extract water from thin air** This gel may be revolutionary because of its low cost and simple creation process. The reason why this water collecting gel is so cheap is that it has two main components: the first, cellulose, which comes from the cell wall of plants. Therefore, it is widely available and easy to obtain. The second component is konjac gum, which is a food additive and is widely used all over the world.
The two components combine to form a gel film responsible for absorbing moisture from the air. Once absorbed, the gel can also be easily released without too much energy. But how does it work?
According to the researchers in nature · communication 》In a paper published on the, the porous structure of gel attracts water from the air around it. It then coagulates in the gel and stores it. However, to release it, all the researchers need to do is apply mild heat to the cellulose. When exposed to mild heat, cellulose becomes hydrophobic and releases trapped water. This enables the catchment gel to function.
In the test, the catchment gel was able to absorb 13 liters of water per day in an area with a humidity of 30%. Even when the humidity drops to 15%, the gel can produce more than 6 liters of water per day. The researchers also think they can improve the efficiency of the gel, which will enable it to absorb more water from the surrounding air.
But the most impressive thing about this cheap water collecting gel is that it is also easy to make. The researchers say what is needed to make this gel is to mix the basic ingredients together. After mixing, pour the ingredients into a mold, which must be set for two minutes. From there, they freeze-dried the product and stripped it from the mold.
At this point, the gel is ready to work. In addition, you can easily scale it and shape it in any way.