Invention Description Because the atmosphere is a vast source of fresh water (estimates put it at around six times more than the combined total in lakes and rivers), atmospheric water harvesting (AWH) is being pursued as a viable tool to meet future global water challenges. There are various AWH devices including fog capture, desiccant-based (adsorber)...

Invention Description Drinking water often contains unsafe levels of toxic contaminants including bacteria, viruses and protozoa. Common disinfectants include chlorine and mercury-based UVC lamps. However, chlorine is not widely available in all parts of the world, and mercury-based UVC systems don’t typically provide uniform distribution of...

Background Electrochemical sensing is a compact process used to detect chemicals in aqueous solutions (e.g., water, bodily fluids, foods). It can also be used to treat pollutants in drinking and industrial wastewaters. Electrochemical oxidation can generate hydroxyl radicals, which are effective in degrading organic contaminants in water, including...

Background Water harvesting from ambient air to produce fresh water is an active area of research. Water moisture in the air is universally available, and the water extracted is essentially pure water. This makes this process ideal, particularly for communities with limited freshwater supplies. Atmospheric Water Generation (AWG) technology can produce...

Background Arsenic is classified as a Class-A human carcinogen, and occurs widely in ground and surface waters across the globe. Long-term exposure to arsenic-contaminated water has been linked to skin, kidney, liver, and bladder cancers. In addition to arsenic, other metals (e.g., chromium, vanadium, tungsten, selenium, manganese, lead) commonly co-occur...

­Bacteria, viruses, and other harmful microorganisms pose a significant pathogenic health-related risk to safe drinking water. Disinfection by chlorination is commonly practiced, however, chlorine is a toxic chemical that typically requires careful storage and proper handling. While ultraviolet (UV) disinfection can be effective, UV-based processes...

Background Non-concentrated solar thermal energy systems have struggled to be extensively deployed, especially in hot climate areas where they are mainly used for space heating and domestic hot water. Since cooling demand increases with solar radiation, integration of both systems may be ideal. Unlike thermally driven absorption heat pump systems, adsorption...

Background Nanobubbles are an emerging water treatment technology that can find application in bodies of water, groundwater, treatment plants, pipelines, medical facilities, industrial cooling towers, and many others. Their generation can be achieved through several methods including, ejector, venturi, cavitation, and mixing. With sizes ranging from...

Background In recent years, photoresponsive polymers have been considered for many applications from drug delivery to environmental sensors. Photons of light actuate the structure of these folded polymers, providing a means to control their opening and closing. Although various other types of stimuli can be used to activate polymers—including...

With the ever-expanding need for renewable energy sources growing, much time and energy is allocated to finding new and innovative technologies. Current membrane reactors focus on a specific class of photocatalyst or are limited to air purification only. This approach does not take into consideration a broader range of the electromagnetic spectrum,...