Nobel Prize Winner Creates Device That Harvests Water From Dry Air
- Mar 16
- 1 min read
Professor Omar Yaghi, who grew up in a refugee community in Jordan, said he was inspired by the hardships he endured in a home with no running water or electricity.
A Nobel laureate’s eco-friendly idea can provide clean water if central supplies are knocked out by a hurricane or drought and could be a life saver for vulnerable communities. Prof Omar Yaghi's invention uses a type of science called reticular chemistry to create molecularly engineered materials, which can extract moisture from the air and harvest water even in arid and desert conditions. Even in places like California's Death Valley.
Atoco, a technology company that Yaghi founded, said its units, comparable in size to a 20ft shipping container and powered entirely by ultra-low-grade thermal energy, could be placed in communities to generate up to 1,000 litres of clean water every day, even if centralised electricity and water sources were interrupted by drought or storm damage.
Yaghi, a professor at University of California, Berkeley, won the 2025 Nobel prize in chemistry, and believes his invention could change the world. He also notes that his device could provide a climate-friendly and sustainable alternative to other water sourcing options such as desalination, which may pose a threat to ecosystems when concentrated salty brine is released back into the ocean.
