Scientists built a wood-based sponge that pulls water from air as dry as 15% humidity; it produced up to 1.72 litres per kg per day

Scientists built a wood-based sponge that pulls water from air as dry as 15% humidity; it produced up to 1.72 litres per kg per day

Image: AI-generated representation of a wood-based sponge that pulls water from air as dry as 15% humidity Water vapour is present almost everywhere, even in places where rivers, lakes and groundwater are scarce. The challenge has always been turning that invisible moisture into usable freshwater efficiently enough to make atmospheric water harvesting practical. Now, researchers … Read more

This Chilean community catches fog in giant nets and turns coastal mist into water; the unusual idea now harvests up to 650,000 litres a year in a drought-hit region

This Chilean community catches fog in giant nets and turns coastal mist into water; the unusual idea now harvests up to 650,000 litres a year in a drought-hit region

A drought-hit community in northern Chile has found an unusual source of water in something that usually passes unnoticed. On the hills above Peña Blanca, in the Coquimbo region, giant mesh nets are positioned to intercept coastal fog, locally known as camanchaca, as it moves inland from the Pacific. Tiny droplets suspended in the fog … Read more

In 2008, Czechia began flooding the lignite mine created after the old city of Most was demolished for coal; by 2014 the pit held 70.5 billion litres of water, forming a 309-hectare lake up to 75 metres deep

In 2008, Czechia began flooding the lignite mine created after the old city of Most was demolished for coal; by 2014 the pit held 70.5 billion litres of water, forming a 309-hectare lake up to 75 metres deep

The flooding started in 2008, and by 2014 the former mine had filled with about 70.5 billion liters of water, forming a lake 309 hectares in area and a maximum of 75 meters deep. Eventually the lake was opened for public recreation. What does it take to give a landscape carved by decades of coal … Read more