Did you hear the news? It's here, it's real, and now you too can have the dream job:
Moisture Farming
Just like Uncle Owen from Star Wars - right here in our own galaxy! Here are some quick stats:
| Realm | Profile | Status | Reachable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Star Wars | Legendary moisture farmer | Not really | |
| Earth | Fist-pumping Futurist | Yes! |
Okay, okay. It may sound funny, but high tech here on Earth really has caught up with science fiction. First published back in April here:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/next/tech/solar-powered-cube-can-extract-moisture-from-desert-air/
Omar Yaghi, a chemist at the University of California, Berkeley, and his research team developed a device that can harvest moisture out of thin air. Even air with low moisture content commonly found in deserts - hence the irresistible reference to Star Wars.
What is really amazing about this new technology is that it doesn't need electricity to operate, unlike previous attempts, according to the article. With an estimated 3.4 trillion gallons of water trapped in air, there is more than enough of it to supply all of us with our daily water needs, which is around 2 gallons per person per day.
The secret to making the device work, Zirconium, is a critical material of the device. It costs approximately $68 per pound ($150 per kilogram), but the researchers are hoping to replace it with a much cheaper substitute such as aluminum.
Scaled up to one square meter, the device currently produces the equivalent of 6.76 fluid ounces (0.2 liters) per day. With future improvements, Omar's team hope to crank out 34 fluid ounces (one liter) of water per day.
Just like solar panels generating ready-to-use electricity, this technology would allow us harvest water directly from the air, anywhere on Earth. I hope to see this tech out soon!