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Thanks for spotting that. I'm a little confused then, later in the article it says "The team estimates that a system with a roughly 1-square-meter solar collec

Thanks for spotting that. I'm a little confused then, later in the article it says "The team estimates that a system with a roughly 1-square-meter solar collecting area could meet the daily drinking water needs of one person." So something doesn't add up. [Edit: the paper is available at https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlehtml/2020/ee/c9ee04122b#imgfig3 https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlehtml/2020/ee/c9ee0412.... It says, "To meet the average daily water intake for one adult (≈3.2 L),49 100 TMSS devices can be placed into a 10 × 10 array, filling an 1 m2 area, which would provide approximately 10–20 L of clean water every day depending on the weather condition." The lower bound of 10l is outdoor performance on a partly sunny day. So I think they are just being conservative by saying it would meet the requirements of one person - coastal areas are frequently cloudy, and in some locations, there might be little sun for extended periods of time.]

londons_explore 5y ago
'drinking water' often doesn't mean the water a human literally drinks, but all the clean water necessary for living everyday life (bathing, flushing toilets, washing dishes, cleaning clothes, cooking etc.).
- celticninja 5y ago
  I am pretty sure if you had to get your water from one of these devices you would not be using it to flush toilets or other non-essential use. And actually it does seem like 'drinking water' is actually drinking water and not for all those other uses you mentioned. As 3.7 litres is the amount required for a human male each day. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/water/art-20044256 https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-h...
  - lyschoening 5y ago
    From Wikipedia: > Drinking water, also known as potable water, is water that is safe to drink or use for food preparation. 40-50L per day would seem to about cover one person's essential uses of potable water.
  - kingsuper20 5y ago
    >I am pretty sure if you had to get your water from one of these devices you would not be using it to flush toilets or other non-essential use. Are you suggesting that toilets, showers, washing machines use salt water?
    - celticninja 5y ago
      Is there a problem with flushing a toilet with salt water?
      - kingsuper20 5y ago
        Offhand I'd say that you are doubling the plumbing system plus you are using a much more corrosive fluid. It would be an interesting experiment, since toilets use a great deal of water. Take a beach town, build a separate pressure water and sewer system, see if it's worth it. It's certainly more complicated than a sailboat's set up.
    - maximus-decimus 5y ago
      If their toilets used clean water, then I have a much more efficient way to produce clean water : drink from the toilet and shit in a hot house.

londons_explore 5y ago

'drinking water' often doesn't mean the water a human literally drinks, but all the clean water necessary for living everyday life (bathing, flushing toilets, washing dishes, cleaning clothes, cooking etc.).

celticninja 5y ago
I am pretty sure if you had to get your water from one of these devices you would not be using it to flush toilets or other non-essential use. And actually it does seem like 'drinking water' is actually drinking water and not for all those other uses you mentioned. As 3.7 litres is the amount required for a human male each day. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/water/art-20044256 https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-h...
- lyschoening 5y ago
  From Wikipedia: > Drinking water, also known as potable water, is water that is safe to drink or use for food preparation. 40-50L per day would seem to about cover one person's essential uses of potable water.
- kingsuper20 5y ago
  >I am pretty sure if you had to get your water from one of these devices you would not be using it to flush toilets or other non-essential use. Are you suggesting that toilets, showers, washing machines use salt water?
  - celticninja 5y ago
    Is there a problem with flushing a toilet with salt water?
    - kingsuper20 5y ago
      Offhand I'd say that you are doubling the plumbing system plus you are using a much more corrosive fluid. It would be an interesting experiment, since toilets use a great deal of water. Take a beach town, build a separate pressure water and sewer system, see if it's worth it. It's certainly more complicated than a sailboat's set up.
  - maximus-decimus 5y ago
    If their toilets used clean water, then I have a much more efficient way to produce clean water : drink from the toilet and shit in a hot house.