Water collection equipment on the hotest hot desert in the world

With less than 0.1 cm of rainwater every year, many cities in the barren Atacama desert of Chile, one of the draddiest places in the world, collected water from the ancient source underground. Currently, a group of researchers discovered a simple method that could solve water scarcity, Gizmodo On 20/2 reported. International researchers tested the feasibility of a method of collecting water from fog. This technology can reduce the burden on people in poor circumstances, cannot access stable water sources, according to the published research in the magazine. Frontiers in Environmental Science.

“The collection and use of water, especially from non -traditional sources such as fog, offers opportunities to improve the quality of life of the people,” said Virginia Carter, a sustainable development expert at Mayor University , the main author of the study and sharing. Carter and his colleagues conducted research in Alto Hospicio province, where about 10,000 people lived in temporary settlements, only 1.6% connected to the water distribution network.

The team using fog collection equipment is small, stretched mesh on two piles. The moisture in the air condenses into drops on the material, then flows into the gutters and pours into the water tank. Although their method is not advanced like recycling urine into drinking water, this is a passive system that does not require electricity or other energy to operate.

“By proof of its potential at Alto Hospicio, one of Chile’s fastest urbanization cities, this study laid the foundation for a wider application in other scarce urban areas,” Nathalie Verbrugghe , engineer at the University of Bruxelles, co -author of the study, said.

Carter, Verbrugghe, et alphabeting can obtain 0.2 – 5 liters of dew water per m2 per day. August and September are the peak month collecting dew, when the research team obtained 10 liters/m2 per day. Researchers estimate a relatively small grid area can collect enough water to irrigate green spaces in Alto Hospicio. Increasing system size with larger fog collection equipment can even provide enough water to meet the daily needs of even temporary residential areas in the city. Dew water can also be used for soil -free cultivation, which can produce 20 kg of green leafy vegetables per month.

The promising results in the study come from the fog collection equipment in the area of ​​a large height outside the city, so the use regularly requires the distribution infrastructure along with a large storage system. . Some other key prerequisites include fog density, appropriate wind direction and high terrain. In addition, due to the seasoning fog in many regions, it is necessary to consider fluctuations. In fact, Carter emphasized that fog can act as a supplementary source of water for urban areas, not a comprehensive solution to solve water scarcity.