This book presents an overview of arid desert conditions and natural
mechanisms for water harvesting from fog and condensation, providing
data on various bioinspired surfaces for water collection. It discusses
consumer to military and emergency applications. It presents various
designs for water harvesting towers and projections for water
collection, and describes innovative approaches to bioinspired water
desalination, water purification and oil-water separation.
Fresh water sustains human life and is vital for health. However, water
scarcity affects more than 40% of the global population and is projected
to rise, especially in some of the world's most impoverished countries.
Additionally, water contamination is one of the most critical
environmental and natural resource concerns of the 21st century. This
book addresses these topics with a presentation of the development of
sustainable and environmentally friendly bioinspired surfaces for water
harvesting from fog and condensation, as well as bioinspired oil-water
separation techniques for removing oil contaminants from oil-water
mixtures and oil-water emulsions.
Intended for novices as well as experts in the field, the book offers
actionable insight for practitioners, solution seekers, and the
generally curious alike. It serves as an excellent accompanying text for
one-semester courses in biomimetics, water supply and management, or
environmental engineering.