Adorption CFD model of Alginate-based atmospheric water harvesting system

Inadequate water supply is one of the most crucial issue to laid down as a priority. Water demand increases worldwide by 1% per year, due to a combination of population growth, economic development, production of energy and human consumption habits, associated with climate change. Therefore, it becomes necessary to find new water resources for meeting the increasing demand. The possibility to extract water from air gives attention to the development of atmospheric water harvesting technologies, in particular that one based on adsorption materials. This work aims to study the behaviour of alginate-based sorption material in an atmospheric water extraction system. The adsorption process is simulated by a Computational Fluid Dynamic model, performed by the software STAR CCM+. The model is able to simulate the system, adapting to a chosen configuration through geometric corrections and by entering specific sorbent material properties. In particular, hexagonal-shape configuration is chosen in order to improve the efficiency of the system. Both regeneration and adsorption phase are investigated in order to evaluate the performances of the system during a complete cycle of adsorption/desorption. The CFD model results are compared to experimental data obtained by testing an hexagonal-shape adsorption heat exchanger coupled with alginate sorbent. The study is oriented toward the investigation of the suitability of alginate and its excellent properties that promote the adsorption of water from atmospheric air.