Harvesting water , even from the lightest fog
written by Alex Parrish
What do you get when you cross a novel approach to water harvesting with a light fog ? The answer : a lot more water than you expected .
The development of the fog harp , a Virginia Tech interdisciplinary pairing of engineering with biomimetic design , was first reported in 2018 . The hope behind the fog harp ’ s development was simple : in areas of the world where water is scarce but fog is present , pulling usable water from fog could become a sustainable option . While fog nets are already in use , the superior efficiency of the fog harp could dramatically increase the number of regions worldwide where fog harvesting is viable . The difference comes in the fog harp ’ s uncanny ability to derive water from less dense fog than its predecessors .
The partnered approach has been a combination of new design with existing science . The science initiated with Assistant Professor Jonathan Boreyko from the Department of Mechanical Engineering within the College of Engineering . His group hypothesized the harp approach and characterized the performance of the harp prototypes . Design development has been led by Associate
Professor Brook Kennedy from the Department of Industrial Design in the College of Architecture and Urban Studies . Kennedy ’ s product development and materials knowledge brought the project to the point where it could be prototyped and tested in real-world environments . Early funding came from the Institute for Creativity , Arts , and Technology .
“ Billions of people face water scarcity worldwide ,” Kennedy said . “ We feel that the fog harp is a great example of a relatively simple , low-tech invention that leverages insight from nature to help communities meet their most basic needs .”
The “ harp ” design uses parallel wires to collect ambient water from fog , whereas current technology in use around the globe relies primarily on a screen mesh . The lab-proven theory for the new device was that parallel wires are more efficient at gathering water , avoiding clogs and enhancing drainage into the collector . The researchers ’ small-scale early tests showed that in high-fog conditions , their harps outpaced mesh by a factor of two to one .
Boreyko and Kennedy
PETER MEANS FOR VIRGINIA TECH
34 RESEARCH • VIRGINIA TECH MECHANICAL ENGINEERING ANNUAL REPORT • 2019-2020