第2212期:Researchers in Australia Develop a Water Harvester

Researchers in Australia recently announced the launch of a new device that, they say, absorbs water from air to produce drinkable water.

澳大利亚的研究人员最近宣布推出一种新设备，他们称该设备可以从空气中吸收水来生产饮用水。 

Researchers at the University of Newcastle call the device the Hydro Harvester. They said it can produce up to 1,000 liters of drinkable water a day, adding that it could be “lifesaving during drought or emergencies.” 

纽卡斯尔大学的研究人员将该设备称为“水力收割机”。 他们表示，它每天可以生产多达 1,000 升饮用水，并补充说，它可以“在干旱或紧急情况下挽救生命”。 

The Australian team said that unlike other atmospheric water generators, their invention works by heating air instead of cooling it. 

澳大利亚团队表示，与其他大气水发生器不同，他们的发明通过加热空气而不是冷却空气来工作。 

The device absorbs water from the atmosphere. Solar energy or heat from other industrial processes can be used to produce hot, wet air. After heating, the air cools, producing water for drinking or watering crops. 

该装置从大气中吸收水分。 太阳能或其他工业过程产生的热量可用于生产热湿空气。 加热后，空气冷却，产生用于饮用或浇灌农作物的水。 

Behdad Moghtaderi of the University of Newcastle’s Centre for Innovative Energy Technologies told VOA how the technology operates. 

纽卡斯尔大学创新能源技术中心的贝达德·莫塔德里 (Behdad Moghtaderi) 向美国之音介绍了该技术的运作方式。 

“Hydro Harvester uses an absorbing material to absorb and dissolve moisture from air. So…we use renewable energy..." Moghtaderi said. He added, "When you condense water contained in that air you would have the drinking water at your disposal.” 

“水力收割机使用吸收材料来吸收和溶解空气中的水分。 所以……我们使用可再生能源……”莫格塔德里说。他补充说，“当你冷凝空气中的水时，你就可以使用饮用水了。” 

The researchers say the device can produce enough drinking water each day for a small rural town of up to 400 people. It could also help farmers keep livestock alive during droughts.

研究人员表示，该设备每天可以为一个最多 400 人的乡村小镇生产足够的饮用水。 它还可以帮助农民在干旱期间保持牲畜的生存。 

Moghtaderi said the technology could be used in parts of the world where water is limited. 

莫格塔德里表示，这项技术可用于世界上水资源有限的地区。

Researchers thought their device would be useful because Australia’s climate is dry. 

研究人员认为他们的设备会很有用，因为澳大利亚气候干燥。 

"More than 2 billion people around the world, they are in a similar situation where they do not have access to…high-quality water and they deal with water scarcity,” Moghtaderi said 

“全世界有超过 20 亿人面临着类似的情况，他们无法获得……高质量的水，并且面临着水资源短缺的问题，”Moghtaderi 说 

Studies of the technology will be done in several Australian communities this year. 

今年将在澳大利亚的几个社区进行这项技术的研究。 

The World Economic Forum (WEF), a nonprofit group based in Switzerland, says water scarcity continues to be a problem worldwide 

总部位于瑞士的非营利组织世界经济论坛 (WEF) 表示，水资源短缺仍然是世界范围内的一个问题 

The WEF said getting water from the atmosphere is a “promising emergency solution that can immediately generate drinkable water using moisture in the air.” 

世界经济论坛表示，从大气中获取水是一种“有前景的应急解决方案，可以利用空气中的水分立即生成饮用水。” 

However, the group warns that the technology is costly. It estimates that one mid-sized device could cost between $30,000 and $50,000. 

然而，该组织警告说，该技术成本高昂。 据估计，一台中型设备的成本可能在 30,000 美元到 50,000 美元之间。