VOA科学技术2024--Researchers in Australia Develop a 'Water Harvester'

Researchers in Australia recently announced the launch of a new device that, they say, absorbs water from air to produce drinkable water.

Researchers at the University of Newcastle call the device the Hydro Harvester. They said it can produce up to 1,000 liters of drinkable water a day, adding that it could be "lifesaving during drought or emergencies."

The Australian team said that unlike other atmospheric¹ water generators³, their invention works by heating air instead of cooling it.

The device absorbs water from the atmosphere. Solar energy or heat from other industrial processes can be used to produce hot, wet air. After heating, the air cools, producing water for drinking or watering crops.

Behdad Moghtaderi of the University of Newcastle's Centre for Innovative⁴ Energy Technologies told VOA how the technology operates.

"Hydro Harvester uses an absorbing material to absorb and dissolve moisture from air. So...we use renewable energy..." Moghtaderi said. He added, "When you condense water contained in that air you would have the drinking water at your disposal."

The researchers say the device can produce enough drinking water each day for a small rural town of up to 400 people. It could also help farmers keep livestock⁵ alive during droughts.

Moghtaderi said the technology could be used in parts of the world where water is limited.

Researchers thought their device would be useful because Australia's climate is dry.

"More than 2 billion people around the world, they are in a similar situation where they do not have access to...high-quality water and they deal with water scarcity⁶," Moghtaderi said

Studies of the technology will be done in several Australian communities this year.

The World Economic Forum⁷ (WEF), a nonprofit group based in Switzerland, says water scarcity continues to be a problem worldwide

The WEF said getting water from the atmosphere is a "promising⁸ emergency solution that can immediately generate drinkable water using moisture in the air."

However, the group warns that the technology is costly⁹. It estimates that one mid-sized device could cost between $30,000 and $50,000.

Words in This Story

absorb - v. to take something in, such as a liquid

drought - n. a period of time with too little rain

generator² - n. a machines whose processes produce energy or a material

dissolve -v. to become mixed into and part of a liquid

condense - v. to change from a gas to a liquid

at (one's) disposal -idiom to be able to use

scarcity - n. the condition of having very little of something

moisture -n. wetness or water in small amounts

1 atmospheric   

adj.大气的，空气的；大气层的；大气所引起的

参考例句：

• Sea surface temperatures and atmospheric circulation are strongly coupled.海洋表面温度与大气环流是密切相关的。
• Clouds return radiant energy to the surface primarily via the atmospheric window.云主要通过大气窗区向地表辐射能量。

2 generator   

n.发电机，发生器

参考例句：

• All the while the giant generator poured out its power.巨大的发电机一刻不停地发出电力。
• This is an alternating current generator.这是一台交流发电机。

3 generators   

n.发电机，发生器( generator的名词复数 )；电力公司

参考例句：

• The factory's emergency generators were used during the power cut. 工厂应急发电机在停电期间用上了。
• Power can be fed from wind generators into the electricity grid system. 电力可以从风力发电机流入输电网。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 innovative   

adj.革新的，新颖的，富有革新精神的

参考例句：

• Discover an innovative way of marketing.发现一个创新的营销方式。
• He was one of the most creative and innovative engineers of his generation.他是他那代人当中最富创造性与革新精神的工程师之一。

5 livestock   

n.家畜，牲畜

参考例句：

• Both men and livestock are flourishing.人畜两旺。
• The heavy rains and flooding killed scores of livestock.暴雨和大水淹死了许多牲口。

6 scarcity   

n.缺乏，不足，萧条

参考例句：

• The scarcity of skilled workers is worrying the government.熟练工人的缺乏困扰着政府。
• The scarcity of fruit was caused by the drought.水果供不应求是由于干旱造成的。

7 forum   

n.论坛，讨论会

参考例句：

• They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
• The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。

8 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

9 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。