Water Generation from Ambient Air Using Blue Silica Gel

Abstract

This project explores an advanced method for water harvesting by using silica gel as a sorbent to draw water from atmospheric humidity. The main goal is to create and develop a prototype that can generate one liter of water daily. The prototype leverages silica gel for its excellent adsorption capacity, as well as its affordability and availability. The system consists of two chambers: the first is the sorbent unit that contains the silica gel, the second one is the condenser made from acrylic. The system operates through a three-stage process: adsorption, desorption and condensation. At the adsorption stage, silica gel captures water vapor from fresh air. During the desorption phase, trapped water vapor is released through heating with a heater and extracted through a fan to the condenser. At the condensation phase, water vapor condenses through free cooling. The prototype works 8 cycles a day, producing approximately 355.2 milliliter per day, and one kg of silica sorbent produces 142.0 milliliter per day.