Is powdered water the cure for drought?

[Still Waters]

The lack of water is a growing, global problem that seems intractable.

While the UN estimates that a large majority of the water we use goes on irrigation, researchers have been working on a range of ideas that make the water we use in agriculture last longer.

There has been a great deal of excitement and some dramatic headlines in recent weeks about a product that is said to have the potential to overcome the global challenge of growing crops in arid conditions.

http://www.bbc.co.uk...onment-23715031

[Space Commander Travis]

just add water, you mean?

Um ....

[Taun]

just add water, you mean?

Um ....

You beat me to it...

[brlesq1]

Me, too.

[seeder]

Thats similar to what I have been putting in my tomatoe and other pot plants...for years. Little dry granules that swell massively when water is added, then keep he moisture in the soil

quote:

"Water-retaining granules can be added to growing medium to increase its ability to retain water for longer periods of time. They may help reduce the demand of frequent watering during dry spells and are particularly handy in hanging baskets and containers, and where coarse-textured free-draining potting media is used"

http://apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/profile.aspx?PID=692

However, the tech already exists to CHEAPLY produce water from fresh air

"At the edge of the Atacama Desert, one of the driest places on earth, Lima, Peru, receives almost no rainfall. About 700,000 people have no access to clean water for drinking or bathing. Another 600,000 of the city's 7.5 million residents rely on cisterns for their water, which must be filled by pumps or by hand and cleaned regularly.

But Lima's Pacific Coast location experiences humidity of more than 90 percent on summer days, from December to February. So engineers from Peru's University of Engineering and Technology (UTEC) have devised a way to turn that humid air into usable water. Last December, they erected a billboard in the Bujama District of Lima that by early March had produced 9450 liters (about 2500 gallons) of water".

(less than 2 grand to do a one time setup)

http://www.popularme...midity-15393050

[media=]

[/media] Edited August 22, 2013 by seeder

[paperdyer]

However, the tech already exists to CHEAPLY produce water from fresh air

"At the edge of the Atacama Desert, one of the driest places on earth, Lima, Peru, receives almost no rainfall. About 700,000 people have no access to clean water for drinking or bathing. Another 600,000 of the city's 7.5 million residents rely on cisterns for their water, which must be filled by pumps or by hand and cleaned regularly.

But Lima's Pacific Coast location experiences humidity of more than 90 percent on summer days, from December to February. So engineers from Peru's University of Engineering and Technology (UTEC) have devised a way to turn that humid air into usable water. Last December, they erected a billboard in the Bujama District of Lima that by early March had produced 9450 liters (about 2500 gallons) of water".

(less than 2 grand to do a one time setup)

http://www.popularme...midity-15393050

That's great, but 2500 gallons is a drop in the bucket on a commercial scale. May work for irrigation supplies provided the relative humidity is high enough in the region.

The problem with the superadsorbers would be the weight of transport of the swelled beads. Absorbing 100 times their weight might make transport an issue.

[seeder]

However, the tech already exists to CHEAPLY produce water from fresh air

"At the edge of the Atacama Desert, one of the driest places on earth, Lima, Peru, receives almost no rainfall. About 700,000 people have no access to clean water for drinking or bathing. Another 600,000 of the city's 7.5 million residents rely on cisterns for their water, which must be filled by pumps or by hand and cleaned regularly.

But Lima's Pacific Coast location experiences humidity of more than 90 percent on summer days, from December to February. So engineers from Peru's University of Engineering and Technology (UTEC) have devised a way to turn that humid air into usable water. Last December, they erected a billboard in the Bujama District of Lima that by early March had produced 9450 liters (about 2500 gallons) of water".

(less than 2 grand to do a one time setup)

http://www.popularme...midity-15393050

That's great, but 2500 gallons is a drop in the bucket on a commercial scale. May work for irrigation supplies provided the relative humidity is high enough in the region.

The problem with the superadsorbers would be the weight of transport of the swelled beads. Absorbing 100 times their weight might make transport an issue.

But they could be commercial if built bigger and if more of them were placed like windfarms. At the very least people can be kept alive/and animals

[Doug1029]

http://www.bbc.co.uk...onment-23715031

No. It can't replace water. It is polyacrylamide. I've used and tested it for use in windbreaks. Results were disappointing to say the least.

What it can do is even out the availability of water. When water is available, it absorbs and holds it. If there are frequent rainstorms or frequent irrigation, it evens out the flow. But if a drought occurs, the polyacrylamide release its water to the soil, rather than the plant. In the tests I ran, it made no discernible difference to tree survival or growth.

But it does offer some excellent practical joking opportunities. I sprinkled a few crystals into a co-worker's coffee cup. He had a real surprise when he finally got around to drinking his coffee. Also, sprinkle some on your neighbor's lawn. Next time they water the lawn, it looks like a hailstorm struck.

The crystals are harmless and decompose in sunlight. I have seen a tree rootlet growing right through a crystal. But don't inhale the dust - you'll have the worst sinus headache you can imagine.

Doug

[pallidin]

Well(pun intended) I quess there might be some use for this.

[Finity]

Powdered water. Just add water.

Trolling with science?

[Likely Guy]

Thats similar to what I have been putting in my tomatoe and other pot plants...for years.

You might want to keep that a secret. Not sure how the drug laws are where you live.

[Lava_Lady]

Those scientists should look into converting used nappies into a fertilizer/water thingy for the arid area crops. Thereby taking care of the whole overload of used nappies in our landfills.

[The Unseen]

that's just stupid,stupid stupid and oh did I forget stupid. to use wet water to make dry water wet,sounds stupid,Yup Stupid.

[Scuzzy]

So it ends up in your body ? Is that safe ?

" After it disintegrates, the powder-like substance becomes part of the plant - it is not toxic,

[minera]

that's just stupid,stupid stupid and oh did I forget stupid. to use wet water to make dry water wet,sounds stupid,Yup Stupid.

I say throw all those stupid "scientists" to the lions.........

[jugoso]

http://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=232014&hl=%2Bdrought+%2Babsorb+%2Bwater