Can Air Become A Source Of Fresh Water? This 18-Year-Old Student May Have An Answer

Last Updated:August 25, 2026, 1:20 PM IST

Zainab Nathani, a student from Illinois, has developed an emulsion-templated composite biogel that can absorb water vapour from humid air. Read on to know more about her research.

Zainab Nathani’s work is still at the student-research stage and is not a standalone solution to the world’s water crisis. (Image: LinkedIn/ Zainab Nathani)

What if the air around us could become a source of fresh drinking water? An Illinois high-school student is exploring that possibility through a novel material designed to capture moisture from the atmosphere and release it using sunlight.

Zainab Nathani, a student from Illinois, has developed an emulsion-templated composite biogel that can absorb water vapour from humid air, reported Moneycontrol. When exposed to sunlight, the material heats up and releases the stored moisture, which can then be condensed and collected as liquid water.

How does it work?

The material functions much like a microscopic moisture trap. Its porous structure enables it to draw water vapour from the surrounding air and retain the moisture within its network. Once the biogel has absorbed enough water, sunlight provides the energy required to release it. Thereafter, solar radiation heats the material, causing the captured moisture to turn back into water vapour. The vapour can then be cooled, condensed and collected as liquid water.

Nathani’s project focuses on developing a bio-based material that could potentially make atmospheric water harvesting more practical and accessible. By combining materials science, renewable energy and water sustainability, the project examines how technology could help address freshwater challenges.

The research has already earned international recognition. Nathani received a Fourth Award in the Materials Science category at the 2026 Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in Phoenix. She qualified for the global competition after participating in the Illinois Junior Academy of Science State Exposition.

Nathani’s interest in clean water extends beyond her laboratory research. She has also been involved in initiatives focused on improving access to clean water and wells in communities in other countries.

Her work is still at the student-research stage and is not a standalone solution to the world’s water crisis. However, it demonstrates an intriguing possibility: freshwater could potentially be harvested from something as abundant and invisible as the moisture present in the air around us.

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Could this biogel help solve global water scarcity?

The biogel developed by Zainab Nathani can absorb water vapour from humid air and release it as liquid water using sunlight, offering a potentially more practical and accessible method for atmospheric water harvesting. This technology could help address freshwater challenges.

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