Liquid Gold: The Price of Pulling Water from Thin Air

Vinesh k -

Hello everyone! My name is Vinesh Kothari, and I’m fascinated by sustainable technologies—especially those that challenge how we source essential resources. Water scarcity is a growing crisis, especially in Arizona, yet the air around us holds an untapped reservoir of moisture in the form of water vapor. But how much does it really cost to extract?

For my senior project, I am working in Professor Shahnawaz Sinha’s lab at ASU, researching atmospheric water capture materials and their life-cycle costs. The idea of pulling water from thin air sounds like magic, but every innovation comes with trade-offs. Energy use, material sustainability, and economic feasibility all play a role in determining whether this technology can scale beyond the lab.

I’m particularly excited to analyze whether these systems are financially viable—not just for high-tech applications but for communities that need them most. During the course of my senior project, I’ll be diving into the numbers, testing materials, and uncovering the hidden costs behind turning air into drinking water. Stay tuned!

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    meggiles
    Vinesh, This sounds quite heady. You know what I'd love to know more about? Exactly what that lab looks like at ASU. Photos? Details? I'm very curious! Can't wait to hear more.
    February 18, 2025 at 3:05 pm - Reply
    joaquin_s
    Hey Vinesh, this sounds really impressive (and complicated). I love how your passion clearly shows in this blog with the level of detail in it and the interesting questions you seek to answer. I had a question though, will your work be purely conceptual, or based in actual engineering, or some combination of both?
    February 18, 2025 at 3:52 pm - Reply
    sidd_s
    Hi Vinesh, this project sounds very complex, but interesting at the same time. I had one question about your project. What kind of research will you be doing at the lab? What kind of hands - on research will you be doing? Will you be building models? I'm very excited to hear more about your project.
    February 18, 2025 at 4:57 pm - Reply
    nico_l
    Hi Vinesh, I like how pertinent this is especially with the slow drying of the Colorado, and that we are one of the states with the most reliance on the river. I am interested in knowing if you will be developing your own device or just utilizing preexisting ones. Maybe you can save me a glass of water sometime?
    February 19, 2025 at 1:43 am - Reply
    mj_j
    Hi Vinesh, I love how you decided to turn your fascination with sustainability into a senior project, specifically one that has great value in Arizona! I am excited to see where you go from here, and I have one question: I am wondering whether or not you have any idea/hypothesis as of now about what material(s) might be the best at capturing this "atmospheric water"? This will obviously be put to the test as your project progresses, but do you have any preliminary guesses?
    February 19, 2025 at 11:47 am - Reply
    vinesh_k
    Hey MJ! The materials I will be looking at have been used before, but zeolites, silica gels, and activated alumina are just some examples of materials used for atmospheric water harvesting
    February 26, 2025 at 1:42 pm - Reply

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