MOF water harvester produces water from Death Valley desert air in ambient sunlight

Sorbent-assisted atmospheric water harvesting has emerged as a promising method to mitigate water stresses in arid climates. Here a new water harvester based on metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) has been designed, constructed and tested in two locations in California (Death Valley National Park and Berkeley). This water harvester is capable of harvesting water at a capacity of 210 and 285 g H2O per kilogram of MOF-303 per day, respectively. The unique configuration of the MOF cartridge and the condenser in the harvester allows the highest efficiency of water uptake and harvesting from air without power or energy input aside from ambient sunlight. Indeed, this water harvester operates passively with double the amount of water harvested compared with our previous passive MOF water harvester. These results highlight the great potential for addressing the water stress problem in the world. Sorbent-assisted atmospheric water harvesting is one of the technologies currently explored to produce clean water especially in dry land locations. A metal–organic framework harvester has been shown to harvest water effectively in the Death Valley.