Abstract
Freshwater scarcity will be one of the most challenging issues in the coming time. Atmospheric water harvesting could be a solution to such a problem in semi-arid and arid regions. This could help to fill the thirst as well as improve irrigation. There are several methods available to retrieve water vapour from the air but research is needed for a cost-effective and efficient method with optimized parameters. The methods proposed in this study utilize the Peltier device for water condensation, and in-depth experimental analysis has been done to investigate the optimal conditions for maximum water production from atmospheric moisture. The experimental setup was designed in such a way that during the condensation process, the online monitoring of water condensate was recorded for more than 10–12 h each day using a digital electronic weighing balance with an accuracy of 1 × 10–5 kg. The water produced in this study was tested for the physico-chemical parameters, and the results were discussed with a comparison to the American Public Health Association (APHA) standards. The rate of produced condensed water from humid air was achieved as 19 L.m−2.day−1. This study will help us to develop applications in the field of alternative water resources near the coastal areas, such as Gujrat state in India for potability.
Graphical abstract
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Data availability
Data are available in the manuscript, itself.
References
Al-Hassan GA (2009) Fog water collection evaluation in asir Region-Saudi Arabia. Water Resour Manage 23:2805–2813. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11269-009-9410-9
APHA/AWWA/WEF (2017) Standard methods for the examination of water and wastewater. American public health association american water works association, 23rd edn. Water Environment Federation, Denver
Atta RM (2011) Solar water condensation using thermoelectric coolers. Int J Water Resour Arid Environ 1:142–145
Berkowicz SM, Beysens D, Milimouk I, Heusinkveld BG, Muselli M, Wakshal E, Jacobs AFG (2004) Urban dew collection under semi-arid conditions: Jerusalem. In: The Third International Conference on Fog, Fog Collection and Dew. University of Pretoria, South Africa, p E4
Beysens D, Milimouk I (2000) The case for alternative fresh water sources. Pour les Resour Altern en eau, Secher 11:1–16
Beysens D, Muselli M, Nikolayev V, Narhe R, Milimouk I (2005) Measurement and modelling of dew in island, coastal and alpine areas. Atmop Res 73:1–22. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosres.2004.05.003
Beysens D, Muselli M, Milimouk I, Ohayon C, Berkowicz S, Soyeux E, Mileta M, Ortega P (2006) Application of passive radiative cooling for dew condensation. Energy 31:2303–231. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2006.01.006
Blanka V, Ladányi Z, Szilassi P, Sipos G, Racz A, Szatmari J (2017) Public perception on hydro-climatic extremes and water management related to environmental exposure. SE Hungary Water Resour Manage 31:1619–1634. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11269-017-1603-z
Bui DT, Chua KJ, Gordon JM (2017) Comment on “Water harvesting from air with metal-organic frameworks powered by natural sunlight.” Science 80:358. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aao0791
Cao D, Zou Y (2016) System optimization of water exaction from air by semiconductor cooling air. Build Energy Environ 35:71–73
EAS - East African Standard (1999) Distilled Water- Specifications report, First Edition EASB 123:1999 ICS 71.100. https://law.resource.org/pub/eac/ibr/eas.123.1999.html Retrieved on 10 March 2022
Eslami M, Tajeddini F, Etaati N (2018) Thermal analysis and optimization of a system for water harvesting from humid air using thermoelectric coolers. Energy Conv Manag 174:417–429. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enconman.2018.08.045
Faghri A, Zhang Y (2006) Transport Phenomena in Multiphase Systems. Condensation. Elsevier, USA, pp 581–677
Graham S, Parkinson C, Chahine M (2010) The water cycle. NASA Earth Obs. http://www.mrnagle.com/uploads/8/5/0/7/8507404/the_water_cycle___feature_articles.pdf
Gray JR (2004) Conductivity analyzers and their applications. In: Down RD, Lehr JH (eds) Environmental Instrumentation and Analysis Handbook. Wiley, pp 491–510
Guhathakurta P, Sudeep Kumar BL, Menon P, Prasad AK, Sable ST, Advani SC (2020) Observed Rainfall Variability and Changes over Uttar Pradesh State. https://imdpune.gov.in/hydrology/rainfall%20variability%20page/uttar_final.pdf
Gupta R, Das C, Datta A, Ganguly R (2019) Background Oriented Schlieren (BOS) imaging of condensation from humid air on wettability-engineered surfaces. Exp Th Flu Sci 109:109859. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.expthermflusci.2019.109859
Gurera D, Bhushan B (2020) Passive water harvesting by desert plants and animals: lessons from nature. Philos Trans R Soc A 378:20190444. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2019.0444
Hand CT, Peuker S (2019) An experimental study of the influence of orientation on water condensation of a thermoelectric cooling heatsink. Heliyon 5:e02752. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2019.e02752
IS - Indian Standard (2012) DRINKING WATER—SPECIFICATION (Second Revision). IS 10500:2012.
Jacobs AFG, Heusinkveld BG, Berkowicz SM (2008) Passive dew collection in a grassland area, The Netherlands. Atmos Res 87:377–385. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosres.2007.06.007
Joshi VP, Joshi VS, Kothari HA, Mahajan MD, Chaudhari MB, Sant KD (2017) Experimental investigations on a portable fresh water generator using a thermoelectric cooler. Energy pro 109:161–166. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egypro.2017.03.085
Jradi M, Ghaddar N, Ghali K (2012) Experimental and theoretical study of an integrated thermoelectric–photovoltaic system for air dehumidification and fresh water production. Int J En Res 36:963–974. https://doi.org/10.1002/er.1848
Kabeel AE, El-Said EMS (2015) Water production for irrigation and drinking needs in remote arid communities using closed-system greenhouse: A review. Eng Sci Technol an Int J 18:294–301. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jestch.2014.12.003
Khalil B, Adamowski J, Shabbir A, Jang C, Rojas M, Reilly K, Ozga-Zielinski B (2016) A review: dew water collection from radiative passive collectors to recent developments of active collectors. Sustain Wat Res Manag 2:71–86. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40899-015-0038-z
Kumar VS, Pathak KC, Pednekar P, Raju NSN, Gowthaman R (2006) Coastal processes along the Indian coastline. Curr Sci 530–536. Retrieved 20 December 2021. https://drs.nio.org/drs/bitstream/handle/2264/350/Curr_Sci_91_530.pdf;jsessionid=462DE34A664A89A2436E39706DAAB650?sequence=1
Kumar D, Tiwari A, Srivastava K (2018) An investigation of the supplementary source of potable water by atmospheric vapour condensation and its quality control, Proc. of the International Conference on Sustainable Energy and Environmental Challenges (SEEC-2018) 31 December 2017 – 03, January, 2018, IISc, India pp.376–379. https://www.isees.in/SEEC_2018_Proceedings.pdf (Paper no. - SEEC-2018–065)
Liu S, He W, Hu D, Lv S, Chen D, Wu X, Xu F, Li S (2017) Experimental analysis of a portable atmospheric water generator by thermoelectric cooling method. Energy pro 142:1609–1614. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egypro.2017.12.538
Machiwal D, Jha MK, Singh PK, Mahnot SC, Gupta A (2004) Planning and design of cost-effective water harvesting structures for efficient utilization of scarce water resources in semi-arid regions of Rajasthan, India. Water Res Manag 18:219–235. https://doi.org/10.1023/B:WARM.0000043152.86425.7b
Medici M-G, Mongruel A, Royon L, Beysens D (2014) Edge effects on water droplet condensation. Phys Rev E 90:062403. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.90.062403
Muñoz-García MA, Moreda GP, Raga-Arroyo MP, Marín-González O (2013) Water harvesting for young trees using Peltier modules powered by photovoltaic solar energy. Comp Elei Agr 93:60–67. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compag.2013.01.014
Muselli M, Beysens D, Milimouk I (2006) A comparative study of two large radiative dew water condensers. J Ar En 64:54–76. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaridenv.2005.04.007
Nikolayev VS, Beysens D, Gioda A, Milimouka I, Katiushin E, Morel J-P (1996) Water recovery from dew. J Hyd 182:19–35. https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-1694(95)02939-7
Nilsson T (1996) Initial experiments on dew collection in Sweden and Tanzania. Sol Energy Mater Sol Cells 40:23–32. https://doi.org/10.1016/0927-0248(95)00076-3
Patel J, Patel K, Mudgal A, Panchal H, Sadasivuni KK (2020) Experimental investigations of atmospheric water extraction device under different climatic conditions. Sustain En Tech Asses 38:100677. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seta.2020.100677
Pontious K, Weidner B, Guerin N, Dates A, Pierrakos O, Altaii K (2016) Design of an atmospheric water generator: harvesting water out of thin air. SIEDS. https://doi.org/10.1109/SIEDS.2016.7489327
Report (2017) Water Quality Report, Niagara Bottling LLC, USA. https://www.niagarawater.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/2017-English-WQR_070517-lr.pdf Retrieved 10 March 2022.
Sarkar B, Venkateshwarlu N, Rao RN, Bhattacharjee C, Kale V (2007) Potable water production from pesticide contaminated surface water—A membrane based approach. Desalination 204:368–373. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.desal.2006.02.041
Sharan G, Beysens D, Milimouk-Melnytchouk I (2007) A study of dew water yields on Galvanized iron roofs in Kothara (North-West India). J Ar Env 69:259–269. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaridenv.2006.09.004
Shojaei M, Mortezapour H, Jafarinaeimi K (2019) Experimental investigation of a heat pumpassisted solar humidification–dehumidification desalination system with a freeflow solar humidifier. Int J Env Sc Tech. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-019-02554-6
Singh KV, Jerath K (2016) Thermoelectric cooler. Int J Mech Ind Tech. 4(1):78–84
Solsoma F (2002) Guidelines for drinking water quality standards in developing countries Report: WHO – America Lima. https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.461.5405&rep=rep1&type=pdf. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
Talbot MT, Baird D (2002) Psychometrics and Postharvest Operations, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences FU, CIR1097. http://ufdcimages.uflib.ufl.edu/ir/00/00/45/20/00001/ae13300.pdf, Retrieved 25 November 2021
Thakkar H, Sankhala A, Ramana PV, Panchal H (2020) A detailed review on solar desalination techniques. Int J Ambient Energy 41:1066–1087. https://doi.org/10.1080/01430750.2018.1490351
Tiwari A (2011) Characterization of mass transfer by condensation on a horizontal plate, PhD Thesis, BU Pascal, Pascal. https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00708562/document. Retrieved 20 july 2021.
Torbjörn N (1996) Initial experiments on dew collection in Sweden and Tanzania. Solar En Mate Sol Cel 40:23–32. https://doi.org/10.1016/0927-0248(95)00076-3
Tu R, Hwang Y (2020) Review of atmosphere water harvesting technologies. Energy 201:117630. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2020.117630
Tu Y, Wang R, Zhang Y, Wang J (2018) Progress and expectation of atmospheric water harvesting. Joule 2:1452–1475. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joule.2018.07.015
United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2019). World Population Prospects 2019: Highlights (ST/ESA/SER.A/423). https://population.un.org/wpp/Publications/Files/WPP2019_Highlights.pdf Retrieved 29 December-2021
Yang K, Pan T, Lei Q, Dong X, Cheng Q, Han Y (2021) A roadmap to sorption-based atmospheric water harvesting: from molecular sorption mechanism to sorbent design and system optimization. Environ Sci Technol 55:6542–6560. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.1c00257
Zhou X, Lu H, Zhao F, Yu G (2020) Atmospheric water harvesting: a review of material and structural designs. ACS Mater Lett 2:671–684. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsmaterialslett.0c00130
Acknowledgements
The author Akhilesh Tiwari is grateful to IIIT Allahabad for providing the seed grant for financial support. Authors are thankful to Prof Jean-Pierre Fontaine, Clermont-Ferrand, France for fruitful discussions. Also, author Dinesh Kumar acknowledge the contribution of Mr. Gyanendra Kumar Maurya.
Funding
This study was funded by IIIT Allahabad, Prayagraj, India.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
All authors contributed to the study conception and design. The design of the experimental setup, analysis of results, and preparation of the manuscript were carried out by Dinesh Kumar. The concept of study and manuscript review was performed by Akhilesh Tiwari. Data analysis was done by Vidhu Agarwal. Manuscript review and visualization was done by Kuldeep Srivastava. All the authors have read and approved the final manuscript.
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
There is no conflict of interest.
Additional information
Editorial responsibility: J Aravind.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kumar, D., Tiwari, A., Agarwal, V. et al. Investigation of atmospheric water vapour condensation and characteristic analysis as potable water. Int. J. Environ. Sci. Technol. 20, 4905–4918 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-022-04199-4
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-022-04199-4