Researchers in Australia Develop a 'Water Harvester'
2024-05-26
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1Researchers in Australia recently announced the launch of a new device that, they say, absorbs water from air to produce drinkable water.
2Researchers at the University of Newcastle call the device the Hydro Harvester.
3They said it can produce up to 1,000 liters of drinkable water a day, adding that it could be "lifesaving during drought or emergencies."
4The Australian team said that unlike other atmospheric water generators, their invention works by heating air instead of cooling it.
5The device absorbs water from the atmosphere.
6Solar energy or heat from other industrial processes can be used to produce hot, wet air.
7After heating, the air cools, producing water for drinking or watering crops.
8Behdad Moghtaderi of the University of Newcastle's Centre for Innovative Energy Technologies told VOA how the technology operates.
9"Hydro Harvester uses an absorbing material to absorb and dissolve moisture from air. So...we use renewable energy..." Moghtaderi said.
10He added, "When you condense water contained in that air you would have the drinking water at your disposal."
11The researchers say the device can produce enough drinking water each day for a small rural town of up to 400 people.
12It could also help farmers keep livestock alive during droughts.
13Moghtaderi said the technology could be used in parts of the world where water is limited.
14Researchers thought their device would be useful because Australia's climate is dry.
15"More than 2 billion people around the world, they are in a similar situation where they do not have access to...high-quality water and they deal with water scarcity," Moghtaderi said
16Studies of the technology will be done in several Australian communities this year.
17The World Economic Forum (WEF), a nonprofit group based in Switzerland, says water scarcity continues to be a problem worldwide
18The WEF said getting water from the atmosphere is a "promising emergency solution that can immediately generate drinkable water using moisture in the air."
19However, the group warns that the technology is costly.
20It estimates that one mid-sized device could cost between $30,000 and $50,000.
21I'm John Russell.
1Researchers in Australia recently announced the launch of a new device that, they say, absorbs water from air to produce drinkable water. 2Researchers at the University of Newcastle call the device the Hydro Harvester. They said it can produce up to 1,000 liters of drinkable water a day, adding that it could be "lifesaving during drought or emergencies." 3The Australian team said that unlike other atmospheric water generators, their invention works by heating air instead of cooling it. 4The device absorbs water from the atmosphere. Solar energy or heat from other industrial processes can be used to produce hot, wet air. After heating, the air cools, producing water for drinking or watering crops. 5Behdad Moghtaderi of the University of Newcastle's Centre for Innovative Energy Technologies told VOA how the technology operates. 6"Hydro Harvester uses an absorbing material to absorb and dissolve moisture from air. So...we use renewable energy..." Moghtaderi said. He added, "When you condense water contained in that air you would have the drinking water at your disposal." 7The researchers say the device can produce enough drinking water each day for a small rural town of up to 400 people. It could also help farmers keep livestock alive during droughts. 8Moghtaderi said the technology could be used in parts of the world where water is limited. 9Researchers thought their device would be useful because Australia's climate is dry. 10"More than 2 billion people around the world, they are in a similar situation where they do not have access to...high-quality water and they deal with water scarcity," Moghtaderi said 11Studies of the technology will be done in several Australian communities this year. 12The World Economic Forum (WEF), a nonprofit group based in Switzerland, says water scarcity continues to be a problem worldwide 13The WEF said getting water from the atmosphere is a "promising emergency solution that can immediately generate drinkable water using moisture in the air." 14However, the group warns that the technology is costly. It estimates that one mid-sized device could cost between $30,000 and $50,000. 15I'm John Russell. 16Phil Mercer reported on this story for VOA News. John Russell adapted it for VOA Learning English. 17______________________________________________ 18Words in This Story 19absorb - v. to take something in, such as a liquid 20drought - n. a period of time with too little rain 21generator - n. a machines whose processes produce energy or a material 22dissolve -v. to become mixed into and part of a liquid 23condense - v. to change from a gas to a liquid 24at (one's) disposal -idiom to be able to use 25scarcity - n. the condition of having very little of something 26moisture -n. wetness or water in small amounts