Experimental study on stepwise scaled-up solar driven atmospheric water harvesters

To ease the global water crisis, different research on solar-driven sorption-based atmospheric water harvesting (SAWH) prototypes on small-scale were explored while practical designs for larger sizes need more effort. To bridge the gap between the laboratory and factory, based on the structure of a flat plate solar collector, devices with stepwise scaling-up dimensions of 500mm×400mm and 800mm×600mm were reported in this paper. Integrated compact and modular structure which combines the solar absorption plate, desorption chamber, and condenser were used in the devices, they were tested under practical outdoor conditions of daily solar radiation ranging from 20-22 MJ•m-2, achieved water harvesting amounts of 170 g and 410 g, respectively. Combined with the current industrialization of solar thermal technology, personalized sizes of solar-driven SAWH products can be produced in the future, expecting to give new pathway for drinking water anytime and anywhere.