Sun + sea = drinking water? Chinese scientists have the answer
Researchers use nanotech material to harness power of the sun and produce nearly 1.5 litres of fresh water per hour
Chinese scientists have developed a thin carbon film that generates a large, free supply of fresh water from the ocean using only the power of the sun.
Each hour, one square metre of the material spread over salt water can produce 1.45 litres of fresh water under normal sunlight, according to their research paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in the United States this week.
The amount of fresh water the film can produce more than meets the drinking needs of a typical family. About 1.2 litres per day is enough to keep a person healthy, according to British health authorities.
The research team at Nanjing University in Jiangsu province created the film using graphene, a nanotechnology material comprising carbon sheets one atom thick arranged in a honeycomb-shaped lattice to absorb sunlight.
