If one day an extra-terrestrial civilization ever visited us, it would probably decide that human beings are a study in contrasts: more than 3,6 billion people all over the world already own a smartphone, while some 2.2 billion still don't have access to potable water in their homes.The proposed system includes the use of carbon paper evaporators and condensers made of a material called polydimethylsiloxane, which even in full sunlight emit more energy than they absorb, reducing the temperature below the dew point to achieve vapour condensation.Credit: THE PHOTONICS LAB AT UW-MADISON
One example is the solution created by engineers Qiaoqiang Gan, from the State University of New York at Buffalo, and Zongfu Yu, from the University of Wisconsin, and developed through their startup company Sunny Clean Water.La tecnologia aporta soluciones innovadoras para el problema del aguaResearchers tested their water condenser in direct sun atop UW-Madison buildings.