A 'portable moisture capture system' that collects moisture from the air, sterilizes it, and produces drinking water using eco-friendly technology inspired by plant and animal mechanisms has been developed for the first time in Korea. It is expected that it will be used as a source technology in various fields such as military, camping, and island and mountainous area survival water production systems in the future.

The research team of Lim Hyeon-ui, head of the Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials (President Ryu Seok-hyun), announced on the 20th that they are about to commercialize a 3kg water harvester using their independently developed 'portable water collection system'.

It has been certified through a certificate from an accredited certification agency, including verification of water harvesting performance and drinking water safety, and plans to commercialize a variety of product lines from portable to large-capacity by transferring the technology to Puresys Co., Ltd.

The 'portable moisture capture system' developed by the research team is based on the 'adsorption → desorption → condensation → sterilization' moisture capture cycle as its original technology, and has greatly increased the capture amount.

Energy efficiency has been improved by more than twice compared to existing dehumidification systems.

In addition, its stability has been verified by heating the cooling fins where moisture condenses to 80℃ in an instant, sterilizing bacteria on the surface within 1 minute, and purifying water with an eco-friendly filter that can naturally decompose.

Existing 'moisture capture systems' are composed of condensers, evaporators, and compressors to control moisture supersaturation, such as refrigerated dehumidifiers and air conditioners, and there are concerns about noise, weight, and environmental pollution due to refrigerant use.

To improve these problems, a moisture capture system using a thermoelectric device is being developed, but it has the disadvantage of having a significantly lower energy efficiency for moisture capture compared to a compressor type that uses a compressor.

The 'portable moisture capture system' developed by the research team has a capture capacity that is more than twice that of the existing thermoelectric device method.

The key is to use the heating surface of the thermoelectric generator as an absorbent plate. The moisture capture efficiency was improved by collecting moisture in the air in the adsorption mode of the moisture absorbing plate and transferring the moisture to the condensation plate in the heating mode.

Additionally, the high temperature heat energy generated from the heating surface is used for moisture desorption, reducing the hot air discharge generated by the heating surface.

It has excellent power consumption along with its capturing capability. The research team designed it so that dehumidification is possible without powering the thermoelectric device during the moisture adsorption process.

We were able to reduce power consumption by developing a single thermoelectric module that can perform moisture adsorption, condensation, and sterilization modes. We also built a water purification system that can remove not only heavy metals but also nano-sized microplastics by creating an eco-friendly filter that can be naturally decomposed using diatomaceous earth and biodegradable polymers.

Lim Hyeon, head of the research group at the Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials, said, “This is a meaningful development that will secure drinking water in situations where water is scarce,” and added, “We will work to build a drinking water production system that can be safely consumed by many people around the world to solve problems such as drinking water shortages and droughts.”

“The moisture capture system is a hybrid system that combines the principles of existing condensation and absorption systems,” said Oh Seon-jong, a senior researcher at the Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials. “It is a sustainable technology that minimizes energy usage and utilizes eco-friendly materials.”

This study was conducted with the support of the ‘Development of an Eco-mimetic Portable Water Harvester’ project of the Korea Environmental Industry & Technology Institute, Ministry of Environment, Eco-mimetic-based Environmental Pollution Management Technology Development Project.