TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a system for harvesting water from air. The present disclosure also relates to a method for harvesting water from air.

BACKGROUND

In recent times, atmospheric water harvesting is increasingly becoming promising means to produce water from moisture present in air. Thus, atmospheric moisture, which is present regardless of any geographical and hydrologic conditions, is emerging as an alternative water resource. The water produced via such atmospheric water harvesting could be beneficially utilized for heating, drinking, irrigation, household work, sanitation, industrial work, and the like. Generally, existing equipment and techniques for atmospheric water harvesting employ sorption-based materials (namely, sorbent materials) for absorbing moisture from the air and stores the moisture in form of water, when said materials are exposed to the air.

Publication WO2022039149 Al discloses a system for harvesting water from air. The system comprises a first space capable of holding the at least one absorbing material therein such that the at least one absorbing material is exposed to the air; and at least one absorbing material that, when exposed to the air, absorbs moisture from the air and stores the moisture in form of water, wherein the at least one absorbing material is at least partially a super hygroscopic polymer film. The system comprises also at least one heating device configured to heat the water stored in the at least one absorbing material, wherein upon such heating, the water is at least partially released from the at least one absorbing material into the second space.

US 2003145729A1 discloses a system for harvesting water from air the system comprising at least one absorbing material that, when exposed to the air, absorbs moisture from the air and stores the moisture in form of water, wherein the at least one absorbing material is at least partially a super hygroscopic polymer film. The system comprises also a transmitting system for transmitting forces, wherein the force transmitting system is configured to suspend the absorbing material above a ground level at least one stimuli applicator configured to release water stored in the at least one absorbing material by an external stimulus.

The publication CN 204225217U discloses a force transmitting system for transmitting forces of water tanks, wherein the force transmitting system comprises pulleys and counterweights.

However, existing equipment and techniques for atmospheric water harvesting are associated with several limitations. Firstly, the existing equipment and techniques require considerable amount of heat energy for releasing the water absorbed by and stored in sorbent materials. As an example, a given sorbent material (for example, such as a silica gel) may require heating to a temperature ranging from 80 degrees Celsius to 100 degrees Celsius or even more. Therefore, releasing the water stored in the sorbent materials is a highly energy-intensive process and is time consuming. Moreover, due to such high energy requirements, low- grade energy sources (such as sunlight or wind energy) could not be employed for heating the sorbent materials to release the water. Secondly, some existing equipment and techniques employ sorbent materials which have low absorbency (i.e., an ability of a given sorbent material to absorb a volume of moisture in a given time period). In such a case, said sorbent materials are not well-suited for releasing (namely, harvesting) higher amount of water from the air, and therefore an efficiency coefficient for said sorbent materials is considerably low.

Therefore, in light of the foregoing discussion, there exists a need to overcome the aforementioned drawbacks associated with existing equipment and techniques for atmospheric water harvesting.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure seeks to provide a system for harvesting water from air. The present disclosure also seeks to provide a method for harvesting water from air. An aim of the present disclosure is to provide a solution that overcomes at least partially the problems encountered in prior art.

In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a system for harvesting water from air, the system comprising: at least one absorbing material that, when exposed to the air, absorbs moisture from the air and stores the moisture in form of water, wherein the at least one absorbing material is at least partially a super hygroscopic polymer film; a first space capable of holding the at least one absorbing material therein such that the at least one absorbing material is exposed to the air; a second space designed to accommodate the first space at least partially therein; a force transmitting system for transmitting forces, wherein the force transmitting system is configured to: suspend the first space at a first height above a ground level until an amount of water stored in the at least one absorbing material is lesser than or equal to a first threshold value; and lower the first space into the second space when the amount of water stored in the at least one absorbing material exceeds the first threshold value, wherein the second space is arranged below the first space; and at least one heating device configured to heat the water stored in the at least one absorbing material to a predefined temperature when the first space is lowered into the second space, wherein upon such heating, the water is at least partially released from the at least one absorbing material into the second space.

In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a method for harvesting water from air, the method comprising: absorbing moisture from the air using at least one absorbing material exposed to the air and storing the moisture in form of water in the at least one absorbing material, wherein the at least one absorbing material is at least partially a super hygroscopic polymer film; configuring a force transmitting system for: suspending a first space at a first height above a ground level using the force transmitting system, until an amount of water in the at least one absorbing material is lesser than or equal to a first threshold value, the first space being capable of holding the at least one absorbing material therein; and lowering the first space into a second space using the force transmitting system, when the amount of water stored in the at least one absorbing material exceeds the first threshold value, the second space being designed to accommodate the first space at least partially therein; and heating the water stored in the at least one absorbing material to a predefined temperature, using at least one heating device, when the first space is lowered into the second space, wherein upon such heating, the water is at least partially released from the at least one absorbing material into the second space.

Embodiments of the present disclosure substantially eliminate or at least partially address the aforementioned problems in the prior art, and enable significant, fast, and reliable harvesting of water from atmospheric air in an energy-efficient manner.

Additional aspects, advantages, features and objects of the present disclosure would be made apparent from the drawings and the detailed description of the illustrative embodiments construed in conjunction with the appended claims that follow.

It will be appreciated that features of the present disclosure are susceptible to being combined in various combinations without departing from the scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The summary above, as well as the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments, is better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. For the purpose of illustrating the present disclosure, exemplary constructions of the disclosure are shown in the drawings. However, the present disclosure is not limited to specific methods and instrumentalities disclosed herein. Moreover, those skilled in the art will understand that the drawings are not to scale. Wherever possible, like elements have been indicated by identical numbers.

Embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the following diagrams wherein: FIGs. 1A and IB illustrate block diagrams of architectures of a system for harvesting water from air, in accordance with different embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIGs. 2A, 2B, 2C, and 2D collectively illustrate a process flow for harvesting water from air, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIGs. 3A illustrates an exemplary scenario of collecting water from a second space, while FIG. 3B illustrates an exemplary scenario of transporting water from the second space to a first space for heating purposes, in accordance with different embodiments of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 4 illustrates steps of a method for harvesting water from air, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

In the accompanying drawings, an underlined number is employed to represent an item over which the underlined number is positioned or an item to which the underlined number is adjacent. A non-underlined number relates to an item identified by a line linking the non-underlined number to the item. When a number is non-underlined and accompanied by an associated arrow, the non-underlined number is used to identify a general item at which the arrow is pointing.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

The following detailed description illustrates embodiments of the present disclosure and ways in which they can be implemented. Although some modes of carrying out the present disclosure have been disclosed, those skilled in the art would recognize that other embodiments for carrying out or practising the present disclosure are also possible.

In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a system for harvesting water from air, the system comprising: at least one absorbing material that, when exposed to the air, absorbs moisture from the air and stores the moisture in form of water, wherein the at least one absorbing material is at least partially a super hygroscopic polymer film; a first space capable of holding the at least one absorbing material therein such that the at least one absorbing material is exposed to the air; a second space designed to accommodate the first space at least partially therein; a force transmitting system for transmitting forces, wherein the force transmitting system is configured to: suspend the first space at a first height above a ground level until an amount of water stored in the at least one absorbing material is lesser than or equal to a first threshold value; and lower the first space into the second space when the amount of water stored in the at least one absorbing material exceeds the first threshold value, wherein the second space is arranged below the first space; and at least one heating device configured to heat the water stored in the at least one absorbing material to a predefined temperature when the first space is lowered into the second space, wherein upon such heating, the water is at least partially released from the at least one absorbing material into the second space.

In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a method for harvesting water from air, the method comprising: absorbing moisture from the air using at least one absorbing material exposed to the air and storing the moisture in form of water in the at least one absorbing material, wherein the at least one absorbing material is at least partially a super hygroscopic polymer film; configuring a force transmitting system for: suspending a first space at a first height above a ground level using the force transmitting system, until an amount of water in the at least one absorbing material is lesser than or equal to a first threshold value, the first space being capable of holding the at least one absorbing material therein; and lowering the first space into a second space using the force transmitting system, when the amount of water stored in the at least one absorbing material exceeds the first threshold value, the second space being designed to accommodate the first space at least partially therein; and heating the water stored in the at least one absorbing material to a predefined temperature, using at least one heating device, when the first space is lowered into the second space, wherein upon such heating, the water is at least partially released from the at least one absorbing material into the second space.

The present disclosure provides the aforementioned system and the aforementioned method for harvesting water from air in an energyefficient manner. Herein, the system and the method facilitate in releasing the water stored in the at least one absorbing material by using considerably lesser amount of heat energy as compared to conventional equipment and techniques. Therefore, releasing the water from the at least one absorbing material is neither an energy-intensive process and nor time consuming. Moreover, due to such low energy requirements, low-grade energy sources (such as sunlight or wind energy) could also be optionally employed for heating the at least one absorbing material to release the water. Furthermore, since the at least one absorbing material is at least partially the super hygroscopic polymer film (SHPF) which have considerably higher absorbency as compared to conventional sorbent materials. Thus, such material is well-suited for releasing (namely, harvesting) higher amount of water from the air, as an efficiency coefficient for the SHPF is high. The system and the method are simple, robust, reliable, and can be implemented with ease.

Throughout the present disclosure, the term "absorbing material" refers to a material that is capable of absorbing the moisture from the air and storing the moisture in the form of water therein. It is to be understood that when the at least one absorbing material is exposed to the air, the at least one absorbing material absorbs (i.e., holds or retains) the moisture that is present in form of water vapor (i.e., humidity) in the (surrounding) air. It will be appreciated that optionally the at least one absorbing material is implemented as a plurality of layers of the super hygroscopic polymer film (SHPF). A given layer (namely, a sheet) from amongst the plurality of layers of the SHPF could be arranged in the first space in a horizontal manner, a vertical manner, or in an angular manner. Moreover, a time period for which the at least one absorbing material is exposed to the air (namely, an exposure time required by the at least one absorbing material) may lie in a range 5 minutes to 60 minutes. As an example, the time period for which the at least one absorbing material is exposed to the air may be 20 minutes.

It will also be appreciated that the SHPF could be easily synthesized (for example, in form of a gel) using konjac glucomannan (KGM), hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC), and lithium chloride solution. One such way of synthesizing the SHPF is described, for example, in "Scalable Super Hygroscopic Polymer Films for Sustainable Moisture Harvesting in Arid Environments" by Guo Y., Guan W., Lei C. et al., published in Nature Communications, Vol. 13, Article no. 2761, 2022, which has been incorporated herein by reference. The technical benefit of using the SHPF as the at least one absorbing material is that the SHPF generally has a very high and rapid moisture absorbency (for example, the absorbency of the SHPF could be up to 13 times of its own weight in 20 minutes). Moreover, release of moisture absorbed by the SHPF can easily occur at a considerably low temperature, i.e., by employing considerably lesser energy, as compared to other sorbent materials such as silica gel.

Notably, the first space is a storage space that is capable of holding the at least one absorbing material therein. In this regard, the first space is designed in a manner that the at least one absorbing material arranged in the first space is well-exposed to the air (i.e., the at least one absorbing material remains in contact with the air). Therefore, the first space has an open (i.e., ventilated) construction that allows the air to easily penetrate therethrough to be in contact with the at least one absorbing material. Beneficially, this facilitates the at least one absorbing material to be able to absorb the moisture from the air in an efficient and effective manner. As an example, the first space may be implemented as a container having an open top end and/or having a plurality of slots around walls of the container. As another example, the first space may be implemented as a cage-like structure.

Furthermore, the first space along with the at least one absorbing material is suspended (namely, lifted or raised) at the first height above the ground level in a real-world environment. It is to be understood that when the at least one absorbing material is initially arranged in the first space, the at least one absorbing material does not suddenly starts absorbing the moisture from the air until the at least one absorbing material remains exposed to the air for a certain time period. Thus, during the certain time period, at least one of: a size, a weight, a volume, of the at least one absorbing material gradually increases as the at least one absorbing material starts absorbing and storing the moisture therein. In this regard, the first space (along with the at least one absorbing material) remains suspended at the first height until the amount of water stored in the at least one absorbing material is lesser than or equal to the first threshold value. Optionally, the first threshold value lies in a range of 100 kilogram to 10000 kilogram. It will be appreciated that the aforesaid range may also be expressed in unit of litres as one litre of a liquid water generally has a mass almost exactly equal to one kilogram. When the amount of water stored in the at least one absorbing material exceeds the first threshold value i.e., when the at least one absorbing material has eventually absorbed and stored the moisture in the form of water greater than the first threshold value, the first space (along with the at least one absorbing material) is lowered (namely, sunk or dropped) into the second space for subsequent heating.

In a first example, a total weight of the first space and the at least one absorbing material (in an unabsorbed form) may be 100 kilograms, and the first threshold value may be 1000 kilograms. Thus, when the total weight is 1200 kilograms (i.e., when the amount of water stored in the at least one absorbing material is 1100 kilograms), the first space is lowered into the second space.

Notably, the second space is a reception space that is capable of accommodating the first space at least partially therein. In this regard, the second space is arranged below the first space for accommodating the first space into the second space. Moreover, the second space is designed in a manner that the second space could easily receive the first space (and the at least one absorbing material therein) so that the water can exit from the first space into the second space (i.e., the water can be at least partially released from the at least one absorbing material present in the first space into the second space), upon heating the water stored in the at least one absorbing material. In such a case, an overall size of the second space is greater than an overall size of the first space. Furthermore, the second space has an open top end for allowing the first space to be easily accommodated (at least partially) into the second space. As an example, the second space may be implemented as a container having an open top end. Optionally, the second space is arranged at any one of: a ground level, an underground level, a second height above a ground level. In this regard, when the second space is arranged at the ground level, the second space could, for example, be a container placed at a ground surface in the real-world environment, and when the first space is lowered into the second space, the at least one heating device that is suitable to provide the heat at the ground level, for example, such as an electric heater could be employed. Alternatively, when the second space is arranged at the underground level, the second space could, for example, be a container arranged inside a pit below the ground surface, and when the first space is lowered into the second space, the at least one heating device that is suitable to provide the heat at the underground level, for example, such as a heat pump could be employed. Yet alternatively, when the second space is arranged at the second height above the ground level, the second space could, for example, be a container arranged above the ground surface using a plurality of feet, and when the first space is lowered into the second space, the at least one heating device that is suitable to provide the heat at the second height, for example, such as a solar power panel could be employed. Optionally, the second height is lesser than the first height.

Optionally, the second space comprises at least one of: at least one section inside the second space, at least one valve connected to the at least one section to allow movement of the water within the second space, at least one outlet. In this regard, the at least one section could be suitably arranged anywhere inside the second space in order to partition the second space as required. As an example, the at least one section (that may be implemented as a plate) is arranged around a middle region of the second space. Optionally, the at least one valve is implemented as one of: a gate valve, a solenoid valve, a plug valve. The at least one valve may be controlled mechanically, electrically, or pneumatically. The at least one valve and its types are well-known in the art. The at least one valve allows for smooth movement of the water within the second space. Optionally, the at least one outlet is employed for carrying the water released from the at least one absorbing material out of the second space. The water could then be used for suitable purposes, for example, such as heating, drinking, irrigation, household work, sanitation, industrial work, and the like.

Notably, suspending the first space at the first height and lowering the first space into the second space (as described earlier) are performed by the force transmitting system. Throughout the present disclosure, the term "force transmitting system" refers to an arrangement of one or more elements that are capable of transmitting forces so as to facilitate lifting (i.e., suspending and lowering) the first space in a requisite manner. Such one or more elements could be at least one of: a mechanical element, an electric element, a pneumatic element, a hydraulic element.

Optionally, the force transmitting system is implemented as a pulley arrangement comprising: a counterweight coupled to the first space via a connecting element arranged around a circumference of a pivot wheel, wherein the counterweight is capable of supporting a weight of the first space; and a torque limiter operably coupled to the pivot wheel, wherein the torque limiter is configured to control a rotation of the pivot wheel for repositioning the first space and the counterweight about the pivot wheel.

In this regard, the first space is suspended at a requisite height, and is lowered into the second space using the (aforesaid) pulley arrangement. In other words, lifting the first space in an upward direction and in a downward direction is performed using the pulley arrangement. Herein, the term "counterweight" refers to a weight element that is capable of supporting the weight of the first space (and the at least one absorbing material therein) in order to provide an overall balance to the pulley arrangement by requisitely acting in opposition to the weight of the first space. Thus, the counterweight and the first space are to be understood to be in counterbalance. A material of the counterweight could, for example, be cast iron, concrete, titanium, a metal alloy (such as steel), and the like. The counterweight could be in form of a plate, a disc, or similar. The counterweight may also facilitate in reducing (namely, damping) vibrations that may occur due to imbalances in the pulley arrangement. It will be appreciated that the weight of the first space is equal to a sum of the amount of water stored in the at least one absorbing material, a weight of the at least one absorbing material, and a weight of a body of the first space.

Further, the term "connecting element" refers to a component that is capable of connecting the counterweight and the first space with each other. In this regard, a first end of the connecting element is fastened to the counterweight and a second end of the connecting element is fastened to the first space. Optionally, the connecting element is any one of: a wire, a rope, a belt, a chain. Such connecting elements are well- known in the art. It will be appreciated that arranging the connecting element around the circumference of the pivot wheel facilitate ease in lifting the first space, i.e. the first space can be lifted smoothly with a reduced friction and/or wear. Herein, the term "pivot wheel" refers to a wheel that is capable of (freely) rotating about an axis, and is capable of holding the connecting element over a portion of the circumference of the pivot wheel. It will be appreciated that the pivot wheel may comprise a groove around the circumference for holding the connecting element thereon. Moreover, the pivot wheel may have a frame that is fixedly arranged on a surface in the real-world environment, and the pivot wheel is free to rotate on an axle or a bearing arranged inside said frame. In this way, the connecting element would be allowed move freely around the circumference of the pivot wheel with a reduced friction and/or wear. The pivot wheel is well-known in the art. Moreover, the term "torque limiter" refers to a device that is capable of limiting a torque (for example, by a slipping mechanism) that causes the rotation of the pivot wheel, in order to control the rotation of the pivot wheel to which the torque limiter is operably coupled. Beneficially, in such a case, the torque limiter facilitates in repositioning (namely, lifting) the first space and the counterweight about the pivot wheel. Such a repositioning is required when the amount of water stored in the at least one absorbing material is lesser than or equal to the first threshold value or when said amount exceeds the first threshold value. The rotation of the pivot wheel could be changed by the torque limiter from a clockwise direction to a counter-clockwise direction and vice versa, for the aforesaid repositioning. The torque limiter is coupled to the pivot wheel using, for example, an attachment means. The torque limiter is well-known in the art.

Optionally, when the water is at least partially released from the at least one absorbing material into the second space, the torque limiter controls the rotation of the pivot wheel to lift the first space from a height at which it is lowered into the second space to the first height. In this regard, once the water is released into the second space, the at least one absorbing material could be again employed for a subsequent cycle of absorbing the moisture from the air and storing the moisture therein. In such a case, the torque limiter controls a direction of rotation of the pivot wheel for lifting the first space from the height at which it is lowered into the second space to the first height. Due to this, the at least one absorbing material arranged in the first space is again well-exposed to the air for absorbing the moisture subsequently.

Notably, once the first space (and the at least one absorbing material therein) is lowered into the second space, the water that has been absorbed by and stored in the at least one absorbing material is to be released (namely, extracted). In order to do this, the heat is supplied (by the at least one heating device) to the water stored in the at least one absorbing material so as to extract the water out from the at least one absorbing material into the second space.

Throughout the present disclosure, the term "heating device" refers to an element that is capable of at least generating heat. The at least one heating device supplies the heat at the predefined temperature to the water stored in the at least one absorbing material. As the heat is supplied, the water stored in the at least one absorbing material starts evaporating from the at least one absorbing material, for example, in form of water vapour or steam. Such water vapour or steam is then condensed in the form of water in the second space. It will be appreciated that the water released in the second space may be a higher temperature as compared to the water stored in the at least one absorbing material (due to latent heat of condensation). Optionally, the predefined temperature lies in a range of 25 degrees Celsius to 90 degrees Celsius. As an example, the predefined temperature may be from 25, 30, 35, 45 or 60 degrees Celsius up to 40, 50, 60, 75 or 90 degrees Celsius. More optionally, the predefined temperature lies in a range of 40 degrees Celsius to 60 degrees Celsius. In an example, the predefined temperature may be 50 degrees Celsius. It will be appreciated that the predefined temperature according to the aforesaid range is relatively lesser as compared to a temperature that is generally used for heating the water stored in absorbing material(s) in the prior art. Beneficially, this facilitates in releasing the water stored in the at least one absorbing material with considerably lesser energy and with lesser time.

Optionally, an amount of the water released from the at least one absorbing material into the second space is 70 percent to 100 percent of a total amount of water stored in the at least one absorbing material. In this regard, in one case, an entirety of the water stored in the at least one absorbing material could be released into the second space i.e., the water absorbed by and stored in the at least one absorbing material is completely released into the second space. In another case, the water stored in the at least one absorbing material is partially released into the second space, i.e., only a part of the total amount of the water released from the at least one absorbing material into the second space. It will be appreciated that the system of the present disclosure enables in providing a higher water releasing efficiency (namely, the amount of water released from the at least one absorbing material with respect to the total amount of water stored in the at least one absorbing material) as compared to that in the prior art. It will also be appreciated that the amount of the water released from the at least one absorbing material may depend on at least one of: an amount of water vapour present in the air when the at least one absorbing material is exposed to the air (namely, an absolute humidity of the air), a temperature of the air to which the at least one absorbing material is exposed.

Referring to and continuing with the first example, the amount of the water released from the at least one absorbing material into the second space may be 880 kilograms (i.e., 80 percent of the total amount of water stored in the at least one absorbing material).

In an embodiment, the at least one heating device is implemented as at least one of: a pump that, in operation, partially recirculates the water released into the second space; a pipeline for transporting the water released into the second space to the first space; a fluidic channel for transporting warm air released from water in the second space to the first space; a black material arranged on a surface of the second space to absorb heat from sunlight, when the second space is arranged at any one of: a ground level, a second height above a ground level; a heat pump that generates heat by utilizing energy generated using at least one of: a renewable energy source, a non-renewable energy source.

In this regard, when the at least one heating device is implemented as the pump, the water (having considerably high temperature) is partially recirculated from the second space to the first space in order to provide heat to the first space for a subsequent cycle of heating the water stored in the at least one absorbing material. Beneficially, in such a case, when a higher temperature water is already recirculated for heating the water in the subsequent cycle, a need for providing an external heat energy is minimized.

Additionally, optionally, when the at least one heating device is implemented as the pipeline, a higher temperature water from the second space is transported to the first space (via the pipeline) for heating the water stored in the at least one absorbing material in the subsequent cycle. Advantageously, this minimizes or even eliminates the need for providing the external heat energy. Additionally, optionally, when the at least one heating device is implemented as the fluidic channel, the warm water released from the (previously heated) water is transported or freely circulated from the second space to the first space (via the fluidic channel) for heating the water stored in the at least one absorbing material in the subsequent cycle. It will be appreciated that when it is not advisable to use the previously heated water for heating the water stored in the at least one absorbing material, it would be beneficial to extract heat energy out of the previously heated water as the warm air. This beneficially minimizes or even eliminates the need for providing the external heat energy and recycling the previously heated water would also require less energy. The pipeline and the fluidic channel could be made up of a non-corrosive and a high strength material. The pipeline and the fluidic channel could be externally insulated using, for example, such as a polyurethane foam (PUF) for preventing heat loss.

Additionally, optionally, when the at least one heating device is implemented as the black material arranged on the surface of the second space, the heat absorbed by the black material is utilized for heating the water stored in the at least one absorbing material. It will be appreciated that such an implementation would only be possible when the second space is arranged at the ground level or at the second height above the ground level. This is because the black material would be able to absorb the heat from the sunlight when the second space is arranged at the ground level or at the second height.

Additionally, optionally, when the at least one heating device is implemented as the heat pump, the heat generated by the heat pump is utilized for heating the water stored in the at least one absorbing material. Herein, the term "heat pump" refers to a device that is capable of generating heat by transferring thermal energy from the real-world environment to the first space and/or the second space. Such a heat pump is generally more energy-efficient as compared to an electric resistance-based heater. The heat pump could be implemented as an air source heat pump, a ground source heat pump, a water source heat pump, or similar. The heat pump is well-known in the art. Examples of the renewable energy source include, but are not limited to, timber, wind, solar. Examples of the non-renewable energy source include, coal, natural gas, oil, nuclear energy. It will be appreciated that the second space could be preheated to the predefined temperature using the at least one heating device. This facilitates in releasing the water stored in the at least one absorbing material in considerably lesser time when the first space is lowered into the second space.

Optionally, the system further comprises a generator, wherein the generator is operably coupled to the pivot wheel and is configured to convert energy derived by the rotation of the pivot wheel into electricity. In this regard, during a movement of the first space or the counterweight in either directions, a potential energy is generated as the rotation of the pivot wheel occurs due to the movement of the first space or the counterweight. Such a potential energy is harnessed from the pivot wheel using the generator, by converting the potential energy derived by the rotation of the pivot wheel into the electricity. The electricity thus generated could be utilized for heating the water stored in the at least one absorbing material, or some other purposes. It is to be understood that the movement of the first space or the counterweight occurs when the amount of water stored in the at least one absorbing material is lesser than or equal to the first threshold value or when said amount exceeds the first threshold value. Converting the energy derived by the rotation of the pivot wheel into the electricity using the generator is well-known in the art.

Optionally, the at least one heating device is implemented as an electric heater that is coupled to the generator, and wherein electricity produced by the generator is provided to the electric heater which, in operation, converts the electricity into heat. In this regard, the electric heater converts the electricity into the heat based on the principle of Joule heating i.e., when an electric current is passed through a resistor of the electric heater, electrical energy gets converted into heat energy. It will be appreciated that the heat thus generated could be utilized for heating the water stored in the at least one absorbing material.

Optionally, a user device is any one of: a portable device, a non-portable device. The portable device could, for example, be a smartphone, a tablet, a laptop, and the like. The non-portable device could, for example, be a desktop-computer, a workstation, and the like). The user device may be associated with a user. Throughout the present disclosure, the term "processor" refers to hardware, software, firmware or a combination of these.

Optionally, the system further comprises at least one processor communicably coupled to the force transmitting system and a user device, the at least one processor being configured to: receive an input indicative of the first threshold value, from the user device; and send a first communication indicative of the first threshold value, to the force transmitting system.

In this regard, the first threshold value is obtained from the user of the user device. Optionally, the user of the user device is provided with an interactive user interface for enabling the user to provide at least the first threshold value to the at least one processor. Such an interactive user interface is rendered on the user device associated with the user. The first threshold value is required by the force transmitting system to automatically and requisitely suspend the first space and lower the first space according to the first threshold value. It will be appreciated that the at least one processor is communicably coupled to the force transmitting system and to the user device via a communication network. The communication network may be wired, wireless, or a combination thereof. Examples of the communication network may include, but are not limited to, Internet, a local network (such as, a TCP/IP-based network, an Ethernet-based local area network, a Wi-Fi network, and the like), Wide Area Networks (WANs), Metropolitan Area Networks (MANs), a telecommunication network, a radio network. It will also be appreciated that receiving the input and sending the first communication occurs in real time or near-real time, without any latency or delay.

Optionally, the system further comprises at least one sensor communicably coupled to the force transmitting system, wherein the at least one sensor, in operation, measures an amount of water stored in the at least one absorbing material. Herein, the term "sensor" refers to a specialized component that, in operation, senses and/or measures the amount of water stored in the at least one absorbing material. In one case, the at least one sensor is capable of directly measuring the amount of water stored in the at least one absorbing material. In such a case, the at least one sensor could be implemented as an ultrasonic fluid volume sensor. In another case, the at least one sensor is capable of indirectly measuring the amount of water stored in the at least one absorbing material. In such a case, the at least one sensor is employed to measure a change in a volume of the at least one absorbing material prior to absorbing and storing the moisture and a volume of the at least one absorbing material upon absorbing and storing the moisture, by determining a change in dimensions of the at least one absorbing material prior absorption and upon absorption. Since a density of water is generally known, the amount of water (i.e., a mass of water) stored in the at least one absorbing material can be easily determined by the at least one sensor using the density and said change in the volume. Information pertaining to the amount of water stored in the at least one absorbing material is required by the force transmitting system to automatically and requisitely suspend the first space and lower the first space. It will be appreciated that the at least one sensor is communicably coupled to the force transmitting system via the communication network.

Optionally, the system further comprises at least one processor communicably coupled to the at least one sensor and a user device, the at least one processor being configured to: receive, from the at least one sensor, the amount of water stored in the at least one absorbing material; determine that lowering of the first space into the second space is impending when the amount of water stored in the at least one absorbing material is at least 75 percent of the first threshold value; and send a second communication indicative of an impending lowering of the first space into the second space, upon such determination, to the user device.

In this regard, when it is determined that the amount of water stored in the at least one absorbing material is greater than or equal to 75 percent of the first threshold value, the processor pre-emptively informs the user of the user device regarding the impending lowering of the first space into the second space. In this way, the user of the user device would know (in real time or near-real time) that the first space is going to lowered into the second space and an extraction of the water stored in the at least one absorbing material is required to initiated. Referring to and continuing with the first example, the second communication may be sent to (the user of) the user device when the amount of water stored in the at least one absorbing material is 750 kilograms (i.e., 75 percent of the first threshold value). It will be appreciated that the second communication indicative of the impending lowering of the first space into the second space could be sent to (the user of) the user device via a graphical notification, a text notification, an audio notification, and the like. It will also be appreciated that receiving the information pertaining to the amount of water from the at least one sensor and sending the second communication to the user device occurs in real time or near-real time, without any latency or delay.

The present disclosure also relates to the method as described above. Various embodiments and variants disclosed above, with respect to the aforementioned first aspect, apply mutatis mutandis to the method.

Optionally, the method further comprises: receiving an input indicative of the first threshold value, from a user device; and sending a first communication indicative of the first threshold value, to the force transmitting system. Optionally, the method further comprises: receiving, from at least one sensor, the amount of water stored in the at least one absorbing material; determining that lowering of the first space into the second space is impending when the amount of water stored in the at least one absorbing material is at least 75 percent of the first threshold value; and upon such determining, sending a second communication indicative of an impending lowering of the first space into the second space to the user device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Referring to FIGs. 1A and IB, illustrated are block diagrams of architectures of a system 100 for harvesting water from air, in accordance with different embodiments of the present disclosure. In FIGs. 1A and IB, the system 100 comprises at least one absorbing material (depicted as an absorbing material 102), a first space 104, a second space 106, a force transmitting system 108, and at least one heating device (depicted as a heating device 110). In FIG. IB, the system 100 further comprises a generator 112, at least one processor (depicted as a processor 114), and at least one sensor (depicted as a sensor 116). The processor 114 is communicably coupled to the force transmitting system 108 and to the sensor 116. The sensor 116 is communicably coupled to the force transmitting system 108. The processor 114 is also communicably coupled to a user device 118.

It may be understood by a person skilled in the art that FIGs. 1A and IB include simplified architectures of the system 100 for sake of clarity, which should not unduly limit the scope of the claims herein. It is to be understood that the specific implementations of the system 100 are provided as examples and are not to be construed as limiting it to specific numbers or types of absorbing materials, force transmitting system, heating devices, sensors, and user devices. The person skilled in the art will recognize many variations, alternatives, and modifications of embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIGs. 2A, 2B, 2C, and 2D collectively illustrate a process flow for harvesting water from air, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. In FIG. 2A, there is shown an absorbing material 202 exposed to the air for absorbing moisture from the air and storing the moisture in form of water. As an example, the absorbing material 202 may be a super hygroscopic polymer film. A first space 204 is shown holding the absorbing material 202 therein such that the absorbing material 202 is exposed to the air. As an example, the first space may be a hollow container having open side walls. The first space 204 is suspended at a first height above a ground level using a force transmitting system 206 until an amount of water stored in the absorbing material 202 is lesser than or equal to a first threshold value. Herein, the force transmitting system 206 is implemented using a pulley arrangement having a counterweight 208 coupled to the first space 204 via a connecting element 210 (for example, such as a rope, a chain, a belt, or similar) arranged around a circumference of a pivot wheel 212, wherein the counterweight 208 is capable of supporting a weight of the first space 204. In FIG. 2B, the absorbing material 202 is shown to have absorbed the moisture from the air and is shown to have stored the moisture in the form of water, for example, depicted as a dotted pattern, for sake of simplicity. In FIG. 2C, the first space 204 is shown to be entirely lowered into a second space 214 using the force transmitting system 206, when the amount of water stored in the absorbing material 202 exceeds the first threshold value. The second space 214 is arranged below the first space 204, and is designed to accommodate the first space 204 at least partially therein. In FIG. 2D, there is shown the water (depicted as a horizontal-striped pattern) that is (at least partially) released from the absorbing material 202 into the second space 214. The water is released by heating the water stored in the absorbing material 202 to a predefined temperature using a heating device (not shown), when the first space 204 is lowered into the second space 214. Upon releasing the water, the first space 204 along with the absorbing material 202 is again suspended at the first height using the force transmitting system 206.

Referring to FIGs. 3A and 3B, FIG. 3A illustrates an exemplary scenario of collecting water (depicted as a horizontal-striped pattern) from a second space 302, while FIG. 3B illustrates an exemplary scenario of transporting water from the second space 302 to a first space 304 for heating purposes, in accordance with different embodiments of the present disclosure. In FIGs. 3A and 3B, there is shown the first space 304 holding an absorbing material 306 (depicted as a dotted pattern) therein such that the absorbing material 306 has absorbed moisture from air and has stored the moisture in form of water. The first space 304 is shown to be entirely lowered into the second space 302 such that the second space 302 fully accommodates the first space 304 therein. The second space 302 is arranged above a ground level using, for example, such as a pair of feet 308a and 308b. Upon heating, the water stored in the absorbing material 306 is released from the absorbing material 306 into the second space 302. The second space 302 comprises a section 310 (for example, such as a plate) inside the second space 302, and a valve 312 connected to the section 310. The valve 312 allows movement of the water from the first space 304 within the second space 302. In FIG. 3A, the second space 302 further comprises an outlet 314 for collecting the water from the second space 302 to be used for suitable purposes, for example, such as heating, drinking, irrigation, household work, sanitation, and the like. In FIG. 3B, the second space 302 is connected to a pipeline 316 for transporting the water released into the second space 302 to the first space 304. This is done to minimize (external) heat energy to be supplied by a heating device for heating the water stored in the absorbing material 306 subsequently. FIGs. 2A-2D and 3A-3B are merely examples, which should not unduly limit the scope of the claims herein. The person skilled in the art will recognize many variations, alternatives, and modifications of embodiments of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 4, illustrated are steps of a method for harvesting water from air, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. At step 402, moisture is absorbed from the air using at least one absorbing material exposed to the air and the moisture is stored in form of water in the at least one absorbing material, wherein the at least one absorbing material is at least partially a super hygroscopic polymer film. At step 404, a force transmitting system is configured to: suspend a first space at a first height above ground level using the force transmitting system, until an amount of water in the at least one absorbing material is lesser than or equal to a first threshold value, the first space being capable of holding the at least one absorbing material therein; and lower the first space into a second space using the force transmitting system, when the amount of water stored in the at least one absorbing material exceeds the first threshold value, the second space being designed to accommodate the first space at least partially therein. At step 406, the water stored in the at least one absorbing material is heated to a predefined temperature, using at least one heating device, when the first space is lowered into the second space, wherein upon such heating, the water is at least partially released from the at least one absorbing material into the second space.

The aforementioned steps are only illustrative and other alternatives can also be provided where one or more steps are added, one or more steps are removed, or one or more steps are provided in a different sequence without departing from the scope of the claims herein.

Modifications to embodiments of the present disclosure described in the foregoing are possible without departing from the scope of the present disclosure as defined by the accompanying claims. Expressions such as "including", "comprising", "incorporating", "have", "is" used to describe and claim the present disclosure are intended to be construed in a nonexclusive manner, namely allowing for items, components or elements not explicitly described also to be present. Reference to the singular is also to be construed to relate to the plural.