Speaker: Paul Westerhoff
When: May 1st, 2026 at 11:00am
Where: KH A445 (Lincoln), PKI 160 (Omaha)
Title: Atmospheric Water Harvesting – Can we produce enough water of the right quality anywhere and anytime?
Abstract: Imagine a pipeless water factory. The western USA relies upon extensive water infrastructure in the form of mega-sized reservoirs, canals, and pipelines to transport water to urban areas where clean water is critical not only for drinking but also drives the economic engine through water for commercial, industrial and institutional water uses. Many arid regions are not located near oceans and are currently facing decadienal-scale droughts. For example, in Arizona large scale water infrastructure projects are being considered to import water from the Great Lakes, Columbia River, Mississippi River, Sea of Cortez or Pacific Ocean, and will cost tens of billions of dollars. Our Global Center for Water Technology and new NSF Southwest Sustainability Innovation Engine is exploring the potential for Atmospheric Water Harvesting (AWH) to provide high quality water for fit-for-purpose water uses – averting costly infrastructure. The challenge, of course, is the low relative humidity in arid regions. This presentation will present state-of-the-art methods to achieve AWH, present field data on water yield/energy requirements/water quality, describe how and who is considering using AWH, and provide a path forward for this technology and field.