Atmospheric water harvesting using a functionnalized, nanomaterial-enhanced nucleation and conveyance system

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Atmospheric water harvesting allows arid regions with low rainfall or unsustainable/expensive groundwater resources to collect fresh water from the air to meet their needs. Typical water harvesting methods rely on a simple principle: humid air is forced through a mesh net, where water condenses and droplets drain away through gravity. However, these traditional approaches face limitations with respect to the rate at which water can condense and drain away from the surface. Technologies Aerospatiales Inc. has developed an alternative configuration for water harvesting, relying on a nanomaterial-enhanced, functionalized porous substrate that will promote water nucleation and actively "pump" the condensed water away from the surface for collection through capillary action. Technologies Aerospatiales Inc. requires the expertise developed at Polytechnique Montreal and McGill University in surface engineering and nanomaterial synthesis to refine design parameters for their new configuration and construct testable systems. This second phase of collaboration will allow the development of a new, Canadian water harvesting system capable of revolutionizing how fresh water is supplied. With a worldwide market estimated at nearly 1 billion USD by 2020, not to mention the decreasing levels of Canadian fresh water sources, the successful outcome of this project will yield substantial benefits to the Canadian economy.