Turn the air into fresh water for farming in the desert
By turning air into fresh water, the team successfully grew spinach in the Saudi Arabian desert in June when daytime temperatures hit 55 degrees Celsius.
A team of scientists in Saudi Arabia has invented a system capable of producing electricity and water so that crops can grow in the desert, according to Sputnik News.
Desert region in Saudi Arabia
According to the paper published in the scientific journal Cell Reports Physical Science, the scientists' device uses solar panels (photovoltaic cells) and a unique hydrogel material they have invented.
Hydrogel (water absorbing polymer) is a new type of polymeric chemical material, also known as water absorbent, water retention agent.
Here's how it works: Hydrogels absorb water present in the atmosphere, even in arid regions. Solar energy will heat the hydrogel. With ambient air, when the hydrogel absorbent layer is heated, it produces fresh water that can be used to water plants.
The team says they planted spinach in the Saudi Arabian desert in June when daytime temperatures reached 55 degrees Celsius. 57 of the 60 spinach seeds planted grew to 18cm.
The researchers called their brainchild WEC2P, which stands for "Water - Electricity - Crop Co-production System".
According to the World Resources Institute, a "water-electricity-crop cogeneration system" not only helps to solve the problem of water scarcity - which affects 400 million people in sub-Saharan Africa - but also improve water security and the environment.
"Part of the world's population still doesn't have access to clean water because they live in rural areas with arid or semi-arid climates. Our design makes the use of clean energy less wasteful and convenient. suitable for small-scale, decentralized farms in remote places like deserts and islands," said Peng Wang, a professor at Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah University of Science and Technology and author main author of the study.
The scientists are working to turn their invention into a marketable product, by modifying the hydrogel so that it absorbs more water from the surrounding air.
- Create fresh water with solar energy
- 8th graders make devices that turn seawater into fresh water
- Technology for raising fish in the desert reaches high productivity of Israel
- The 'incredible' farm uses sun and sea water to produce 17,000 tons of tomatoes a year
- The technology turns desert into arable land just after 7 hours
- The two boys turned seawater into fresh water thanks to the waves
- Video: The mixture helps China turn desert into cultivated land
- Turn seawater into fresh water at a super cheap cost
- Greening the desert thanks to super technology of water and dry cultivation
- Lack of water, science race to filter seawater into fresh water
- Turn desert air into drinking water in a completely new way
- Grade 11 students and equipment to turn saltwater into sweet