US EditionNobel Laureate's Device Harvests Drinking Water from Dry Air Without Electricity
Omar Yaghi's company Atoco developed devices using metal-organic frameworks that extract thousands of liters of water daily from air with less than 20% humidity.
- Early in 2026, Nobel laureate Omar Yaghi announced field tests of water-extracting devices in the Mojave Desert, advancing Atoco’s efforts from lab to product.
- Building on 1990s discoveries, Yaghi's approach leverages MOFs and COFs, with the 2024 COF‑999 milestone demonstrating rapid progress in porous frameworks.
- Using porous crystalline materials , prototypes range from industrial electric generators producing thousands of liters per day to passive solar units for remote use, with AI optimizing design.
- Giving people water independence, Yaghi says home‑appliance units could let households generate water off grid and in theory replace municipal utilities in water‑stressed Jordan.
- Despite optimism, scaling and miniaturization remain hurdles as COFs are not yet producible at multi-tonne scale, systems must produce, cool and filter water, and AI agents help speed design and optimise pores.
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11 Articles
Nobel prizewinner Omar Yaghi says his invention will change the world
Chemist Omar Yaghi invented materials called MOFs, a few grams of which have the surface area of a football field. He explains why he thinks these super-sponges will define the next century
Nobel-Winning Scientist's New Invention Turns Air Moisture Into Drinking Water
Atoco, the technology company that Yaghi founded, claims to have developed water harvesting solutions that efficiently harvest clean water out of the atmosphere, even under dry conditions with relative humidity below 20%
The 2025 Nobel Prize Laureate for Chemistry, Omar Yagi, introduced a technology capable of collecting water from dry air; the plants can generate up to 1,000 litres of clean water per day and operate without connection to centralized networks; the development is proposed as a solution for regions affected by droughts and hurricanes; The Guardian reports that Atoco, a company founded by Yagi, has developed technology; according to the company, a …
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