Machine claims to get water out of thin air

(Credit: Klimatic)

With all due respector to inventor extraordinaire Dean Kamen, the notion of his "Slingshot" distillation system--which makes drinkable water from any type of liquid, including bodily fluids--has been met with more than a few squeamish responses. For those seeking a more palatable solution, the "Base 1 AirWater Machine" taps into a very different source: the air.

Its manufacturer, a Greek company called Klimatic, claims that the system can extract 5 gallons of water every 24 hours, according to Dvice, which adds: "It cleans the extracted water with an active carbon filter, runs it through an ultraviolet light chamber to kill bacteria, and then serves it up to you hot or chilled."

The question, however, is what kind of power source is needed to make the system both energy- and cost-effective. If you need something sooner--as in, an emergency--don't forget about the "LifeStraw" and the "Lifesaver" bottle.

[cjs229]

It's called a dehumidifer. Not a bad way to get water, but it is completely defendant on the humidity in the air. Basically it makes water where you don't need it. Florida, check. Arizona, not so check...

[ws808]

cjs229's comment is perfect. Another example is the water that drips out of an air conditioner. Think of the small puddle of water underneath your car after you stop on a hot humid day, or the water dripping outside your window from a window A/C. The evaporator coils of the A/C are causing the moisture in the air to condense, just like in a dehumidifier, or on the outside of a cup of cold water. As the article states, the big question is how much energy does this use? Does a dehumidifier or A/C use a lot of electricity? They sure do.

[ws808]

I forgot to mention that we have a machine similar to this in one of our meeting rooms. I think that one is made somewhere in Asia. I found an article about it with a description: http://www.hawaiireporter.com/story.aspx?eaa45f25-26a0-4386-bfbc-a08b66d8e7c5 It's more sophisticated than I thought. It actually freezes the condensed water.

[jyanee]

Electric energy can easily be manufactured for free. You start with the power any nuclear plant produces to convert some water into hydrogen. You then start converting nuclear power plants to hydrogen fueled plants. Then start converting air to water with hydrogen plants. Thus eventually making all electric power plants self contained, like, but better than eternal fusion. Then, for the transportation industry, start converting all oil refineries to hydrogen refineries, simultaneously converting all gasoline engines to hydrogen engines. Fuel retailers will gladly start rebuilding to sell hydrogen and then we are free of our enslavement to Saudi Oil Sheiks.
The by product of producing hydrogen is OXYGEN. The by product of burning hydrogen is WATER. What could be sweeter?
Yes, this scenario is somewhat oversimplified, but what, I ask, is your alternative?
Our addiction to oil will destroy our society if we don't get off it real soon. My plan here could happen. All we have to do is get with it.
Well?

[c|net Reader]

Let's see, you want to expend money and energy to create the infrastructure to produce and distribute hydrogen. Then, you want to use that hydrogen to fuel the power plants instead, which means you want to expend money and energy to remake the power plants. Then, of course, you want to ignore process inefficiencies to proclaim that the power plants will produce enough power to produce enough hydrogen to fuel themselves. Even were that process perfect -- no losses -- you then assume that process produces more energy than it has to start in order to provide excess hydrogen for other uses. Along the way, you want to expend money and energy to convert refineries, fuel stations, distribution systems, and automobiles for hydrogen. Perhaps you're unfamiliar with science, but these things just will not work.

The only energy sources that work are those based upon the sun's energy. That means solar energy, of course, but also wind and wave power, but it also means stored solar energy. Store solar energy includes things like biofuels, wood, grass, and even (gasp!) coal, oil, and natural gas. When considering biofuels, you need a process that recovers more of the sun's energy than the process requires for the extraction. That covers exactly zero of the current techniques. Solar and wind have drawbacks and inefficiencies, making them supportive, but by no means capable of replacing our current energy sources.

A lot of things must happen, in concert, for any of these ideas to work. In fact, we're going to have to pursue most of the ideas simultaneously. We're also going to need to reduce consumption however we can. What is stupid, is expending ridiculous quantities of money and energy to get a little "green" energy at the other end.

There is no easy, obvious, straightforward answer.

[Emanic99]

I'm with you jyanee. 100% with you. Let's go rebuild our insane infrastructure.

[neutrality_is_bliss]

what about all that depleted uranium from the nuclear plants?

[Raabscuttle]

"What I really need is a droid who understands the binary language of moisture vaporators."

"Vaporators? Sir, my first job was programing binary load lifters very similar to your vaporators in most respects."

[galeso]

neutrality_is_bliss said "what about all that depleted uranium from the nuclear plants? "
First depleted uranium does not come from nuclear plants, it comes from refining.
Second, it has less radioactivity than Natural uranium. It's uses include counterweights in aircraft, radiation shields in medical radiation therapy machines and containers for the transport of radioactive materials.
Spent uranium fuel from nuclear reactors is should be reprocessed.
The World Health Organization indicates extremely little adverse effect from either except when used in munitions. http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs257/en/

[dantenfw]

The nuclear reactors can be used to creat freshwater even out of seawater. Nuclear ships, especially submarines do this through distillation.

They also scrub CO2 and replenish oxygen so maybe nuke plants could do that with the water to manufacture carbon credits as well.

[StephanusP]

Very nice system but not really new, I use this system already one year in Thailand were we have a very high humidity. My system comes from Hiflux Singapore. it use quite a bit of electricity but I'm sure with some solar cells it would be a perfect systems to supply the small villages in underprivileged areas.
Sifan