Can You Make Water? Is It Possible To Create the Universal Solvent Out of Thin Air?

A water crisis is one of the global issues that we are facing in modern times. For centuries, access to clean drinking water has been a challenge for many populations, especially those from poor nations. Water may be available in some areas, but it is often disease-ridden and unsafe for drinking.

Over two billion people all over the world live in water-stressed countries, according to the World Health Organization. This number is also expected to increase in some regions because of the effects of climate change and population growth. Since the world needs clean water so badly, is it possible to make this liquid?

Can You Make Water?

Water is made by combining two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom. Theoretically, combining these elements to make water is possible, but it would be an extremely dangerous process.

Combining hydrogen and oxygen is not as simple as smashing them together. To bind them chemically, the orbits of each atom's electrons must be connected, requiring a sudden burst of energy.

Since hydrogen is extremely flammable and oxygen supports combustion, this means that it will not be hard to create the force needed to link them together. With just a simple spark, the orbits of the electrons of hydrogen and oxygen atoms can be conjoined with ease.

However, conducting this method comes with a price. This reaction often results in an explosion, which can be deadly if the experiment is big enough, as observed during the Hindenburg disaster on May 6, 1937. In this unfortunate event, an airship was filled with hydrogen to keep it afloat during its three-day trans-Atlantic voyage. As the German airship approached Naval Air Station Lakehurst in New Jersey, static electricity caused the hydrogen to spark. Upon mixing with the ambient oxygen in the air, the hydrogen gas exploded and created a ball of fire that engulfed the Hindenburg within half a minute. While the explosion was happening, lots of water was made.

This chemical reaction can be done in a controlled laboratory environment using modern technology. Still, it would not be enough to create enough drinking water to sustain the global demands since a large-scale process would be required.

Alternative Ways to Create Water

There are still safer ways to create water out of thin air, and projects to conduct them on a larger scale are underway. Our atmosphere contains varying amounts of water, and inventors came up with solutions to pull the water vapor out of the air.

Spanish engineer Enrique Veiga invented a drinking water extractor called Aquaer, which uses electricity to cool air until it condenses and turns into water. Meanwhile, Australian inventor Max Whisson invented the Whisson Windmill, which uses wind power to collect water from the atmosphere. A refrigerant is used to cool the blades of the mill, which in turn cools the air and causes water vapor to condense and become liquid again.

There are also fog-harvesting machines that work on the principle that the higher the relative humidity, the more water can be captured from the air. They function as collection systems resembling volleyball nets, which capture water when wind blows through. A different water-collecting technology is also developed, which relies on a liquid desiccant to pull water vapor from the air. The resulting slurry is boiled off, cooled, and collected.