Fog & Dew Collectors: Design For A Thirsty World
by Kimberley D. Mok, Montreal, Canada on 07. 2.08
Here’s a potentially live-saving and thirst-quenching design prototype that we like: British designer Alon Alex Gross has created fog and dew collectors that build on existing, traditional techniques of rain harvesting with lightweight, modern materials. (Apparently, the device can also be connected to the internet for better accessibility and remote monitoring.) Yet, the gadgets are low-tech enough for people living in water-scarce developing areas to collect clean drinking water.
Shown at this year’s Tuttobene exhibition in Milan, Gross’ fog harvester (above) has a 2-metre screen mesh that can capture up to 10 litres of fog droplets from the air in 24 hours.
His dew collector, pictured above, weighs a mere 400 grams and has a special laminate foil that pulls dew drops to it, allowing it to collect up to 1.5 liters of fresh water per night. Because extreme conditions can harm the laminate foil, Gross has also designed an additional sensor system that can react to atmospheric changes by opening or closing the apparatus accordingly. Both are very refreshing and low-tech design responses, providing water to people who need it most.
Related Links on Water Collecting
How to Green Your Water
Fog-harvesting for water - clouds on tap (Science in Africa)
Chilean Engineers Find Water for Desert by Harvesting Fog in Nets (NYT)
Other Interesting Entries in the Evolo Competition (see Fog Tower entry)
Other Cool Rain Harvesting Designs
WATAIR: Turning Air Into Water (Inhabitat)
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But will this device ever actually reach the people who need it most?
That is more water than Uncle Owen got on Tatooine at the moisture farm. No seriously, look it up in the various guides to star wars tech. :-)
And now that I have let my dorkiness through, I'll tell you I would love to have one of these things. I'll have to get rain barrels first, more bang for the buck... and not live in a dorm.
This is very cool.
Dew collectors and wind traps? Liet would be pleased.
I'm glad to see this idea catching on enough for people to invent portable versions. I've read about the concept for years, thanks to this site (http://rexresearch.com/airwell2/airwell2.htm) and hope to see someone try larger scale models.
I would hope that the Australian government, indeed any government in a dry and arid land, would be looking at these technologies on a large scale.
Yes, Frank Herbert was a bit of a visionary on this and I really don't know why this simple tech hasn't been employed or tested. If it has, I'd be curious to know why it hasn't met with huge success.
I'm sure Farmers in Australia would love it...
I'm sorry, but a dew collector. Come on now, I doubt anything like this could actually work and result in giving water to people in need. This 400 gram THING can't possibly hold 1.5 liters of perfectly CLEAN water. DO you really think that people would truly want to drink water that came from morning dew and/or fog?
I wouldn't. Especially if the water wasn't purified.
If the water WAS purified then thats a whole different story.
"But will this device ever actually reach the people who need it most?" - buy some and send it to them and they will actually get it.
"I'm sorry, but a dew collector. Come on now, I doubt anything like this could actually work and result in giving water to people in need. This 400 gram THING can't possibly hold 1.5 liters of perfectly CLEAN water. DO you really think that people would truly want to drink water that came from morning dew and/or fog?
I wouldn't. Especially if the water wasn't purified.
If the water WAS purified then thats a whole different story."
You CAN actually get quit a large amount from fog and dew. Ever sleep out side with out a tent? There is so much more moisture in the air, yes it is possible.
I don't remember anyone saying that it purified water, I 'm sure that is probably has filters on it. Then the drinker could purify the water if they choose.
I don't understand why some people always have to "Yeah, but does it do this?" Why is nothing ever good enough for some people? Ease up, thinking like that will lead to an unhappy life if you are never satisfied.
do you know that a column of 1 meter sand is enough to purify this kind of water?
Maraina said:
"I don't understand why some people always have to "Yeah, but does it do this?" Why is nothing ever good enough for some people? Ease up, thinking like that will lead to an unhappy life if you are never satisfied."
People like that are the people who complain about paying taxes after winning the lottery.
As for this technology. WOOT WOOT! I've done some studies on this and depending on the location a lot of water can be collected. It's a matter of efficiency of collection. These are fairly new things in terms of application, but the idea is sound. I bet combining a water pyramid with Fog-water collection and a mini roof-collector together as a portable would be the next step... hmm... I'll get back to you on the results. Gross rocks!