Author(s)

Alexander Bolonkin

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The author offers a new, cheap method for the extraction of freshwater from the Earth’s atmosphere. The suggested method is fundamentally dictinct from all existing methods that extract freshwater from air. All other industrial methods extract water from a saline water source (in most cases from seawater). This new method may be used at any point in the Earth except the Polar Zones. It does not require long-distance freshwater transportation. If seawater is not utilized for increasing its productivity, this inexpensive new method is very environmentally-friendly. The author’s method has two working versions: 1) In the first variant warm (or hot) atmospheric air is lifted by the inflatable tube in a high altitude and atmospheric water vapor is condensed into freshwater: 2) in the second version, the warm air is pumped 20-30 meters under the sea-surface. In the first version, wind and solar heating of air are used for causing air flow. In version 2) wind and fans are used for causing air movment. The first method does not need energy, the second needs a small amount. Moreover, in variant 1) the freshwater has a high pressure (> 30 or more atm) and can be used for production of energy such as electricity and in that way the freshwater cost is lower. For increasing the productivity the seawater is injected into air and a solar air heater may be used. The solar air heater produces a huge amount of electricity as a very powerful electrical generation plant. The offered electricity installation is 100 - 200 times cheaper than any common electric plant of equivalent output.

Extraction Freshwater, Method of Getting Freshwater, Receiving Energy from Atmosphere, Powerful Renewal Electric Plant

A. Bolonkin, "Production of Freshwater and Energy from Earth’s Atmosphere," Smart Grid and Renewable Energy, Vol. 2 No. 2, 2011, pp. 86-98. doi: 10.4236/sgre.2011.22011.