Nobel laureate chemist Omar Yaghi has unveiled a MOF water harvester that draws drinking water from dry air. In fact, his technology company, Atoco, developed the machine. Notably, the device can produce up to 1,000 litres of clean water a day. Also, it runs off-grid on ambient heat rather than electricity. The Guardian first reported the device on 21 February 2026. Hence, it could help desert villages and disaster-hit islands.
How the Water Harvester Works
Also, the machine is roughly as big as a 20-foot shipping container. Inside, porous materials called metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) trap water molecules from the air. Then, low-grade heat from sunlight releases the trapped water for collection. So, the device needs no power to cool the air, unlike usual dehumidifiers. Interestingly, reports say it works even where humidity falls below 20 per cent.
Target Users and Field Use
Yaghi pitched the device as a resilience tool after hurricanes Beryl (2024) and Melissa in the Caribbean. In particular, he named Carriacou and Petite Martinique in Grenada. Davon Baker, a Carriacou government official, found the off-grid design “particularly compelling for our context”. Yaghi said, “The science is here; what we need now is the courage to scale these solutions.”
Global Water Crisis
Currently, about 2.2 billion people lack safely managed drinking water, as per a UN report. Also, the UN warns of a “global water bankruptcy” era. Therefore, compact air-to-water devices could support remote and drought-prone regions, including parts of India.
About MOFs and the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2025
In MOFs, organic molecules link metal ions into crystals. So, they form cages with huge internal surface areas. Notably, Yaghi shared the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Susumu Kitagawa and Richard Robson. Together, they won it for developing metal-organic frameworks. Also, Yaghi teaches at the University of California, Berkeley. As a child, he grew up in a refugee community in Jordan without running water.
MOF Water Harvester: Key Facts for Revision
- Inventor: Omar Yaghi, UC Berkeley, Nobel Chemistry 2025
- Company: Atoco
- Output: Up to 1,000 litres of drinking water a day
- Energy: Ambient sunlight or low-grade heat, fully off-grid
- Material: Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs)
- Nobel 2025 co-laureates: Susumu Kitagawa and Richard Robson
Why MOF Water Harvester Matters for UPSC and UKPSC
Notably, UPSC often links Nobel Prize science with real-world uses in GS-III. So, remember the inventor, the MOF material and the 1,000-litre output. Also, link the device with water security in arid Rajasthan and in dry Himalayan villages. For official updates, also visit The Nobel Prize. Next, for a related story, read about the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2026.
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