Yet another way to create drinkable water, pulling it from the air

[CaptTom]

Originally Posted by buzzstar

As the group America said, in one of it songs, "the ocean is a desert with its life underground ...." That is why we worry about such things. BTW the next line may be, "... and the perfect disguise above."

I've always wondered if the vocalist got that line wrong. It would make more sense (in the context of the song) to say "The desert is an ocean with its life underground."

I've been waiting decades to get that off my chest. Thanks!

As for magic desalination from the air, I'm not waiting for that. I'm just going to power my RO machine off my perpetual motion device.

OK, I actually hope someone proves my skepticism about the solar desalinator wrong. But it still won't probably be scaled and affordable for boat use in my lifetime

[roverhi]

Military survival packs used to include solar stills for generating limited amounts of drinking water. Don't know if or how well they worked. Tried to use a surplused one as a test but the plastic polymers had quit holding hands so it didn't work. Seem to remember a survival technique of licking vegetation or whatever collected dew in the early morning to get some water in dry climates.

[robbievardon]

Buzzstar Fortunately yes I have, of course I had forgotten that if it is not US it does not exist. Can you name the biggest desert in the world?

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by robbievardon

Buzzstar Fortunately yes I have, of course I had forgotten that if it is not US it does not exist. Can you name the biggest desert in the world?

Not buzzstar but I will have to say the continent of Antarctica is the largest desert on this planet.

[buzzstar]

Originally Posted by CaptTom

I've always wondered if the vocalist got that line wrong. It would make more sense (in the context of the song) to say "The desert is an ocean with its life underground."

I've been waiting decades to get that off my chest. Thanks!

As for magic desalination from the air, I'm not waiting for that. I'm just going to power my RO machine off my perpetual motion device.

OK, I actually hope someone proves my skepticism about the solar desalinator wrong. But it still won't probably be scaled and affordable for boat use in my lifetime

I'd noticed that one too. The line in the song that gets me is, "and the heat was hot...." Since I understand it is a drug song, primarily about heroin, I'd guess the weird lyrics probably are fitting.

PM + RO = H2O. Wow! Is it too late to buy in?

[buzzstar]

Originally Posted by wsmac

-spoken in a gravely Walter Brennen voice-"Why... back when I was a young l'whippersnapper in the French Foreign Legion... stationed in the REAL DESERTS!... it was no DESSERT! No trees! No vegetation (not to be confused with our state of mind)! Except in those wonderful palm-tree lined oasis!... and I could write a Dissertation on THAT!"
.
To be fair... there are deserts I've been in with a very minimal representation of vegetation! I have no idea about the deserts in the world I have not visited!

I forgot to mention it because there was so much I needed to type at the time, do I failed to mention the favorite deserter desert dessert is, as you probably guessed, hot fudge. Not exactly good humor, but reasonably dry.

[buzzstar]

Originally Posted by robbievardon

Buzzstar Fortunately yes I have, of course I had forgotten that if it is not US it does not exist. Can you name the biggest desert in the world?

??? The song, if that is of what you speak, was supposedly written at Hotel California in Todos Santos, Baja California del Sur, Mexico, although I cannot verify that. If it is actually deserts that you are asking about, your question has been answered already, and correctly (there is another technical name, something landia, that I so not recall) and there is not reason for me to reply with the same information.

[robbievardon]

buzzstar,Newhall is absolutely right. Apparently there has been no rain in Antartica for quit a few years. From my knowledge not too sure what it will take to change that,perhaps global warming willl eventually create the right conditions. The worst arid desert is the sahara in North Africa covering approx 3.5 million sq. miles. During several excursions into it I never saw a single blade of grass outside an oasis except along the coastal perimeters.The picture I have seen of (I think it is) the Great basin desert ranks at 10 th in the world at 492 thousand sq. miles and has quite a lot of visible vegetation. As I am due to be in Canada/us for a while now I hope to get the chance to visit some of your deserts. I know we have drifted off the true reason for this thread so I am retiring from it now and as I believe in freedom of speech, cheers to buzzstar and all. The right to agree/disagree should always be allowed.

[buzzstar]

Originally Posted by robbievardon

buzzstar,Newhall is absolutely right. Apparently there has been no rain in Antartica for quit a few years. From my knowledge not too sure what it will take to change that,perhaps global warming willl eventually create the right conditions. The worst arid desert is the sahara in North Africa covering approx 3.5 million sq. miles. During several excursions into it I never saw a single blade of grass outside an oasis except along the coastal perimeters.The picture I have seen of (I think it is) the Great basin desert ranks at 10 th in the world at 492 thousand sq. miles and has quite a lot of visible vegetation. As I am due to be in Canada/us for a while now I hope to get the chance to visit some of your deserts. I know we have drifted off the true reason for this thread so I am retiring from it now and as I believe in freedom of speech, cheers to buzzstar and all. The right to agree/disagree should always be allowed.

What the heck are you talking about?! I agreed the Antarctica was the correct answer (see post #37) but there is name for the desert there, which I cannot recall, as I also said. It is something -landia. I am exercising my right to agree with him, but I also can shake my head at the inane. I am mildly dyslexic, but may read better than you. You are apparently not old enough to know that a group call America (not referring to the political or geographic meanings) even existed or were somewhere in other than Asian jungles. Perhaps the infrequently (at least by westerners) visited Gobi desert, the place where Roy Chapman Andrews "discovered" or found dinosaur eggs in the 1920's, and also a home for Bactrian camel (i do not know the proper spelling, but they are the ones with two humps). I guess our only connection to water is the lack of it so I will stop too. Happy retirement. May your water supply be abundant and fresh.

[robbievardon]

Sorry buzzstar a quick return from retirement as I could not follow all your response. As you quite rightly said Newhall*s answer was correct so I did not feel it necessary to address you directly. Antarctica (derived from the words Ante Arctic ie opposite end of the world) is a region all classed as a desert hence its 5.4 million sq. miles quoted area with a chillingly cold recorded temp of minus 83. something Celcius, but averages out at a warmer temp of mid minus 60 Celcius. You are partially correct again with the word Landia which is part of the name Dromminy Maud Landia an area of Northern Antarctica stretching along the coast from 44.5 degrees West to 20 degrees East in a wedge shape to roughly the centre of Antarctica and is land belonging to Norway claimed in the late 1800*s. Antarctica was not discovered till the early 1800*s. In 1911 Amundson created the name along with naming several mountains after his team members.You are right again, the second name for the camel is Dromadery. I too am not 100% sure of the spelling as there appears to be more than one version. You may be happy to know that the earliest remains of camels were found in North America dating presumably from before the time the Americas drifted away from Europe/Africa. I don*t quite follow the Americas bit I assume you mean the band? I am completely perplexed by the reference to Asian Jungles and the best I can do with the Gobi desert is to say it is the 5th largest desert in the world at about 500,000 sq.miles.As to age you had better ask my grandchildren. This is absolutely,positively my last post on this.

[robbievardon]

wsmac I agree with your sentiments in principle #15 but when I go into/over the desert I go prepared for trouble. First off as with a sailboat leave intended route/timing with responsible person. Don*t travel by day it is cooler as you mentioned at night and easier to navigate from the stars. Unless I am 100% certain of the exact location of the nearest Oasis I would not move as you may well then be leaving your planned route making it harder to find you. Urine is sterile so if stored carefully can be used as is. And if it is a vehicle break down don*t forget the water in the rad.otherwise it is down to the still!!!! C*est fini.

[wsmac]

Originally Posted by robbievardon

...And if it is a vehicle break down don*t forget the water in the rad.otherwise it is down to the still!!!! C*est fini.

good points in your post, but I'd like to clarify something about the vehicle radiator.

If you use antifreeze in your radiator... it is poisonous to animals (includes us human beings).
I can attest... from a medical perspective... antifreeze can do serious damage to our internal organs... even kill us!

Pouring antifreeze-laden radiator water into a solar still is a bad idea also.
Your distilled water will be contaminated with the antifreeze (more to the point.. Ethylene Glycol). The molecules of the glycol travel with the water droplets.

It's possible your distilled water might contain a small amount of glycol... just enough to make you sick but not kill you immediately... but you also risk damage to your cardiac system, your renal system..... not worth taking a chance.

Besides... if you do vomit or lose water out the other end of your body... drinking that contaminated water did more harm through water loss than any good perceived at the beginning!

[pacesetter]

Originally Posted by Sea Dreaming

Fer crissakes...nothing is possible without imagination. There is no invention that started out exactly perfect and market ready. That does not mean these invention should be ignored. Rather they should be explored so that they can become more of what is really needed.

Reality does come into play on occasion though. Solar energy per square foot and water content of atmosphere certainly limit the amount of water per day. We all want the perpetual motion machine to be real.

[robbievardon]

Hi wsmac, thanks for your info. I don't know if all anti freezes are made of the same ingredients? I worked in Russia many years ago and at that time the military were having big problems with alcoholism caused in part needless to say by vodka consumption.As at that time a high percentage were conscripts who received little possibly no pay they came up with a solution. The airforce ground crews did the best as they had access to the aircraft deicing fluid which it seems was not poisonous apart from the effects to the liver. Must have been a bit dodgy for the pilots with a few hundred pounds of ice on the wings. What was in the army vehicles to combat the severe temps. I don"t know but, it seems that was also not short term poisonous. As to car rads, I'm a bit ancient and unlike today we did not allways use antifreeze, so what came out was basically just rusty water. Have to admit I never thought of applying the still principle to that. Good advice from you, I will read up on it as I always like to get my mind around the whole technical bit. Cheers Robbie. Must have been early eighties as I stayed in a hotel built for the 1980 Olympics which was opened in 1981!!!!!

[wsmac]

Originally Posted by robbievardon

Hi wsmac, thanks for your info. I don't know if all anti freezes are made of the same ingredients? I worked in Russia many years ago and at that time the military were having big problems with alcoholism caused in part needless to say by vodka consumption.As at that time a high percentage were conscripts who received little possibly no pay they came up with a solution. The airforce ground crews did the best as they had access to the aircraft deicing fluid which it seems was not poisonous apart from the effects to the liver. Must have been a bit dodgy for the pilots with a few hundred pounds of ice on the wings. What was in the army vehicles to combat the severe temps. I don"t know but, it seems that was also not short term poisonous. As to car rads, I'm a bit ancient and unlike today we did not allways use antifreeze, so what came out was basically just rusty water. Have to admit I never thought of applying the still principle to that. Good advice from you, I will read up on it as I always like to get my mind around the whole technical bit. Cheers Robbie. Must have been early eighties as I stayed in a hotel built for the 1980 Olympics which was opened in 1981!!!!!

You meant to drink the radiator water straight?
As a survival instructor... I've seen it brought up as water for a solar still... not drinking it straight! Wow!
.
One other thing I would be concerned about... although it would be a longterm effect not an immediate issue... in any radiator using lead, you might introduce an unhealthy amount of it into your body.

Interesting note on the de-icer. I've never looked into what that was made of, and of course, that could vary from country-to-country.