Architected carbon foams for efficient water harvesting systems
Innovative compact water harvesting systems using architected carbon foams for efficient heat and mass transfer, featuring high porosity and thermal conductivity. Designed for low operating costs and effective water absorption from moist air.
Overview
The architected carbon foams offer a groundbreaking approach to water harvesting by leveraging high porosity and thermal conductivity to facilitate efficient heat and mass transfer. These systems are designed to absorb water from moist air effectively, utilizing compact flow channels filled with carbon foams that ensure low flow resistance and high surface area. This design allows for periodic compression to collect condensed water, providing an efficient, low-cost solution for water recovery.
Technical specifications
Key features:
- Architected flow channels with high porosity (>90%) and thermal conductivity (>1 W/(m·K))
- Customizable foam unit cells for high surface area and low flow resistance
- Use of commercially available materials for low fabrication costs
- Integration of cold and movable plates for efficient water collection
- System designed to operate with high humidity and temperature environments (up to 90°C, 100% R.H.)
Technology readiness level
The technology is currently at TRL 5, indicating that the water harvesting system has been validated in a relevant environment. Future validation steps include fabricating and testing foam channels and demonstrating the system's efficiency in various conditions.
About Washington University in St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis is a private research university with a large graduate and professional footprint and a major clinical enterprise. Its medical campus is integrated with a leading hospital system, enabling joint clinical research, secure data access, and large-scale trial recruitment. An adjacent innovation district and partner incubators provide flexible lab space, prototyping resources, and corporate co-location, while shared core facilities welcome external users under service agreements. Research is supported by NIH, NSF, DOE, and other competitive federal funding alongside industry sponsorship. A dedicated technology transfer office manages IP, licensing, startup formation, and streamlined sponsored research and clinical trial agreements.
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