Extraction of water from air

摘要

Water vapor is extracted from air in a process in which water vapor from large volumes of air is concentrated by absorption into a small volume of hygroscopic liquid (14), from which it is recovered by passage through a selective layer (12).

主权项

1. A structure, adapted for extracting water from air, comprising
an absorbing part and a desorbing part, wherein
said absorbing part comprises a surface having a thin layer of a flowing hygroscopic liquid in direct contact with air, the thin layer of hygroscopic liquid absorbing water vapor from air to form a hydrated solution;said desorbing part comprises a sandwich-like structure to separate water from the hygroscopic liquid in said hydrated solution,said sandwich-like structure including:a) a heated sheet or layer, heated to a temperature above the environment's temperature;b) a space or layer filled with porous or filamentary material, allowing the flow and substantially even distribution of hydrated solution along the heated layer;c) a layer of material, allowing passage of water but preventing passage of the hygroscopic liquid;d) a cooled sheet or layer, the temperature of which is decreased relative to the temperature of the heated sheet or layer, allowing water to be removed in liquid form.