Developing Atmospheric Water Harvesting Devices
Advancing water sorption and transport technologies to enable scalable atmospheric water harvesting in arid environments.
Project description
Universal access to clean water is essential for human health and socioeconomic progress, aligned with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 6: clean water and sanitation. Traditional methods of producing clean water, such as seawater desalination and wastewater treatment, are constrained by water sources and transportation requirements. In contrast, the atmosphere contains 13,000 trillion liters of water, offering a vast and accessible resource to everyone on Earth.
In this project, we will investigate sorption-based atmospheric water harvesting, which uses nanoengineered sorbent materials to capture water vapor from air. Students will experimentally fabricate nanoengineered sorbent materials and investigate the mechanisms of water sorption and transport at the micro- and nanoscale. Our ultimate goal is to optimize daily water productivity by enhancing sorption kinetics and improving the thermal efficiency of atmospheric water harvesting devices.
Project outcome
- Work with a multidisciplinary team of engineers to develop atmospheric water harvesting prototypes.
- Hands-on experiences of the development of engineered materials and experimental apparatus.
- Develop strong written and oral communication skills.
- Opportunity to present their work as a poster and/or publish in a peer-reviewed journal.
Project details
| Length of commitment | Longer than a semester (about 6-9 months) |
| Start time | Spring, Summer |
| In-person, remote, or hybrid? | In-person |
| Level of collaboration | Small group project (2-3 students) |
| Benefits | Work Study Stipend Potential Academic Credit |
| Who is eligible | All undergraduate students, preferably with a background in mechanical and aerospace engineering, chemical engineering, material science, or physics. |
Project mentor
Hyeongyun Cha
Assistant Professor
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Email: chah@buffalo.edu
Start the project
- Email the project mentor using the contact information above to express your interest and get approval to work on the project. (Here are helpful tips on how to contact a project mentor.)
- After you receive approval from the mentor to start this project, click the button to start the digital badge. (Learn more about ELN's digital badge options.)
Preparation activities
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Keywords
water harvesting, sorption, energy, mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, materials science, physics