MOF water harvesting
On the record
- What happened
The Nobel Prize in Chemistry for metal-organic frameworks named harvesting water from desert air among their uses.
- Why it matters
Drinking water from dry desert air, powered only by sunlight.
University of California, 14 June 2018- How far from your life
Real-world testing
Water from desert air with MOFs is on step 3 of 5. Could reach you in a few years if the tests go well.
- Source
“These constructions, metal–organic frameworks, can be used to harvest water from desert air,”Nobel Prize press release, 8 Oct 2025
The bigger picture
More on MOF water harvesting
On step 3 of 5: Real-world testing. Everything we track on it
- Field trial
UC Berkeley researchers tested a prototype harvester in a backyard in Scottsdale, Arizona, where humidity fell as low as 8% in the day, and collected drinkable water each day-night cycle.
University of California, 14 June 2018