Japanese Company Develops Device that Makes Water From Air

Water absorption device and distillation device
Copyright Towa Chemical Co.,

Towa Chemical Co., a Japanese company that manufactures medical products and specializes in the coloring of plastics, announced on November 14, 2011, that it has developed a device that produces water from air, to be used to secure water in emergencies or in countries facing water shortage problems. Using the device, the company succeeded in making 30 liters of drinking water in about four hours. The company has applied for an international patent in Japan and in member countries of the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT).

The device uses a deliquescent inorganic material (a material that tends to absorb moistures from the air, such as calcium chloride) to capture water from the air. The material is placed on a plate-shaped container to which stirring blades are fixed. While stirring slowly, air is blown onto the material at about the same speed a household fan. Absorbing water from the air, the material deliquesces in about three hours. The deliquescence is then separated from the inorganic material and turned into steam by a heating distillation device. Water is recovered in about an hour by cooling the steam.

The device takes a total of four hours to produce an amount of water equal to the volume of the deliquescent material used. The amount of water can be increased by using a larger-sized container or increasing the number of containers. The material used in the device has been approved as a food additive by Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, and 100% of the deliquescent material can be reused. Most common bacteria and viruses are sterilized during the heating distillation process.

Posted: 2012/09/08 06:00:15 AM