In Peru, billboard turns humidity into drinkable water

The University of Engineering and Technology (UTEC) and ad agency Mayo Publicity/DraftFCB have teamed up to create a billboard that captures moisture from the air and converts it into filtered drinking water.

Last fall we covered Eole Water’s wind turbine that turns airborne moisture into safe drinking water, and recently we came upon another effort to do much the same thing. Set this time in Lima, Peru, the University of Engineering and Technology (UTEC) and ad agency Mayo Publicity/DraftFCB have teamed up to create a billboard that captures moisture from the air and converts it into filtered drinking water. Lima is set in Peru’s coastal desert which receives almost no rainfall every year, causing a chronic shortage of potable water. Air humidity, on the other hand, often hovers around 98 percent. Enter UTEC, which wanted not only to solve a real societal problem but also to draw the attention of potential young applicants to its engineering program. The result is its water billboard, which is located on the Pan-American Highway and is comprised of an air filter, condenser, carbon filter and cold tank. The video below explains the premise in more detail: Capable of capturing 9,450 liters every three months, the device can satisfy the water needs of hundreds of families, the project team says. Applications to UTEC, meanwhile, have gone up 28 percent this year. Social entrepreneurs the world over: one to inspire? Spotted by: Hemanth Chandrasekar