Water Security Risk – Part Two
Taking Water from the Sky: The Silent Revolution That Can Quench Iran’s Thirst
Amirhossein Khodaei – Researcher
The River Flowing Above Our Heads
For decades, there have been disputes over the allocation of water from rivers and qanats, both among ourselves and with neighboring countries. Yet throughout all these years, a vast, clean, and inexhaustible river has silently passed above our heads: the air surrounding us. According to scientific findings published in reputable international journals, the volume of water vapor present in the Earth’s atmosphere is estimated at approximately thirteen trillion cubic meters, a figure six times greater than the total volume of water in all the rivers of the world. Today, technology has enabled us to extract safe and sustainable drinking water from this divine resource. This is no longer a science-fiction story; it is an accessible economic revolution.
Chapter One: How Is Water Obtained from the Air?
Atmospheric water harvesting technology means extracting the hidden moisture present in the atmosphere and converting it into usable water. This technology is recognized in today’s scientific literature as one of the serious pathways toward water resilience, food security, and the development of water-scarce regions. Atmospheric water generators operate much like highly advanced dehumidifiers. Moist air enters the device, is cooled until it reaches the dew point, and the water vapor is converted into liquid droplets. In another method, moisture-absorbing materials such as metal-organic frameworks are used to capture water vapor, which is then released through heating, usually using solar energy.
The least expensive method of harvesting water from the air is fog collection in coastal and mountainous regions. In this method, special mesh nets are installed to collect tiny droplets of fog.
Chapter Two: Nanobubbles; The Hidden Force Behind This Revolution
Water produced from the air has a high level of purity. However, nanobubbles transform this water into a stable and bioactive oxygen-delivering solution. Nanobubbles are bubbles with a diameter of less than one-thousandth of a millimeter and possess remarkable characteristics:
- A very large specific surface area for the transfer of oxygen and nutrients
- A negative surface charge that allows them to remain suspended in water for months
- The ability to generate free radicals for the natural disinfection of water
Combining atmospheric water with nanobubbles creates a new equation: water extracted from the air, through the injection of oxygen nanobubbles, becomes a stable and nutrient-rich oxygen-delivering water that is highly valuable for agriculture, fisheries, livestock farming, and even medical applications.
Chapter Three: Iran’s Special Potential, an Advantage That Should Not Be Overlooked
Scientific research shows that Iran has a comparative advantage in one of the least expensive methods of producing unconventional water in the world. According to a study published in the reputable journal Nature:
The southern regions of the country (the coasts of the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman) have the potential to harvest up to sixty-five liters of water from fog per day per square meter.
The northern and eastern regions also have a potential of between twenty-five and forty-five liters per day per square meter.
The cost of harvesting water from fog in Iran is estimated at approximately twenty-five cents per cubic meter.
