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Engineers at the University of Engineering and Technology in Lima, Peru built a billboard with five condensing units that convert moisture in the air into water. In the first four months, they produced 9,450 liters of water for their waterless neighbors. The water is purified by reverse osmosis and stored in a tank at the base of the billboard. The university has seen a 28% increase in enrollment since the billboard was erected. Lack of clean water can lead to cholera and other diseases, and an estimated one billion people worldwide lack access to safe drinking water.
The area around Lima, Peru is one of the driest places on Earth. There, on the cusp of the Atacama Desert, very little rain falls and hundreds of thousands of people have limited access to clean water. But in the summer months in Peru the humidity is oppressive, so engineers at the University of Engineering and Technology (UTEC) in Lima had an idea on how to help, both their neighbors and themselves. Facing an enrollment shortage, the university erected a billboard to advertise its program, and the school’s engineering students incorporated five condensing units into the sign, to convert moisture in the air into water. In the first four months of operation, they had produced 9,450 liters (about 2,500 gallons) for their waterless neighbors.
Creating water from nothing:
In the summer, from December to February, the humidity in Peru can reach 90%. Like a condenser in an air conditioner, the water vapor in the air can easily be converted into liquid.
The newly created water is purified by reverse osmosis, and stored in a tank at the base of the billboard. Since billboard increased, the university has seen a 28% increase in enrollment.
Worldwide, an estimated one billion people lack access to safe drinking water, says the World Health Organization. Lack of clean water can lead to cholera and other diseases.
