The system can function in air with 20% humidity or less. But these 1,000 liter a day machines are not small, at around shipping container size.
The system can function in air with 20% humidity or less. But these 1,000 liter a day machines are not small, at around shipping container size.
Overall I’d give it a “maybe”. It sounds like MOFs could possibly help to make AWH sufficiently efficient to operate using waste heat or solar heat, but maybe someone can confirm that independently. Doing that below 20% humidity using waste heat or solar is suspect. A system efficient enough to condense water at 20-40% humidity is much more possible, and that would be pretty nifty. At the moment there doesn’t appear to be a device one could purchase from ATOCO or Yaghi.
The International Orgainization for Dew Utilization - OPUR (https://www.opur.cloud/) has been researching this for some time, and has some interesting things to say on the topic. They also have some devices for purchase (https://www.opur.cloud/index.php/condensers-for-sale/) Which is more than they had last time I looked at their website. For those interested in more information, here’s the Publications Link: (https://www.opur.cloud/index.php/publications/). I live in an arid climate, which is expected to become moreso with global climate change. I’ve seen usable amounts of water condense on my metal roof, under the right conditions. These researchers are attempting to make that “natural process” more efficient.
Links from OPs article:
https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/omar-yaghi-water-harvesting-machine
https://atoco.com/atmospheric-water-harvesting/
Links from other sources:
MOFs Explained: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metal–organic_framework
MOFs for AWH Atomopheric Water Harvesting
Harvesting Water From Thin Air: How MOFs Are Powering a New Generation of Atmospheric Water Systems https://synergyfiles.com/2026/02/most-efficient-atmospheric-water-harvester-airjoule/
Metal–Organic Framework-Assisted Atmospheric Water Harvesting Enables Cheap Clean Water Available in an Arid Climate: A Perspective https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11767004/
and
MOFs for water purification: - which appears to sound feasible
Metal-organic frameworks for clean water - https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1001841725014202
Metal-Organic frameworks (MOFs) for the Next Generation of Water Filtration https://nhsjs.com/2024/metal-organic-frameworks-mofs-for-the-next-generation-of-water-filtration/
Recent Development of Metal–Organic Frameworks for Water Purification https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.langmuir.3c03818