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Researchers in Australia recently announced the launch of a new device that, they say, absorbs water from air to produce drinkable water.
澳大利亚的研究人员最近宣布推出一种新设备。据说，这种设备可以从空气中吸收水来生产饮用水。
Researchers at the University of Newcastle call the device the Hydro Harvester.
纽卡斯尔大学的研究人员称这种设备为水力收割机。
They said it can produce up to 1,000 liters of drinkable water a day, adding that it could be "lifesaving during drought or emergencies."
他们表示，该机器每天可以生产高达1000升的饮用水，并补充说，它可能会“在干旱或紧急情况下拯救生命”。
The Australian team said that unlike other atmospheric water generators, their invention works by heating air instead of cooling it. The device absorbs water from the atmosphere.
澳大利亚团队表示，与其他大气水发生器不同，他们的发明是通过加热空气而不是冷却空气来工作的。 该装置从大气中吸收水。
Solar energy or heat from other industrial processes can be used to produce hot, wet air.
太阳能或其他工业过程产生的热量可以用来生产湿热空气。
After heating, the air cools, producing water for drinking or watering crops.
加热后，空气冷却，产生饮用水或给庄稼浇水。
Behdad Moghtaderi of the University of Newcastle's Centre for Innovative Energy Technologies told VOA how the technology operates.
纽卡斯尔大学创新能源技术中心的贝达德·莫赫塔德里告诉VOA这项技术的工作原理。
"Hydro Harvester uses an absorbing material to absorb and dissolve moisture from air. So...we use renewable energy..." Moghtaderi said.
莫赫塔德里表示：“水力收割机使用一种吸收材料来吸收和溶解空气中的水分。所以……我们使用可再生能源……”
He added, "When you condense water contained in that air you would have the drinking water at your disposal."
他补充说，“当你将空气中的水凝结起来时，你就可以使用饮用水了。”
The researchers say the device can produce enough drinking water each day for a small rural town of up to 400 people.
研究人员说，该设备每天可以为一个拥有400人的农村小镇生产足够的饮用水。
It could also help farmers keep livestock alive during droughts.
它还可以帮助农民在干旱期间养活牲畜。
Moghtaderi said the technology could be used in parts of the world where water is limited.
莫赫塔德里说，这项技术可以用于世界上水资源有限的地区。
Researchers thought their device would be useful because Australia's climate is dry.
研究人员认为他们的设备会很有用，因为澳大利亚的气候很干燥。
"More than 2 billion people around the world, they are in a similar situation where they do not have access to...high-quality water and they deal with water scarcity," Moghtaderi said. Studies of the technology will be done in several Australian communities this year.
莫赫塔德里表示：“全世界有20多亿人处于同样的境地，他们无法获得……高质量的水，他们还在应对水资源短缺的问题。”今年将在澳大利亚的几个社区开展对这项技术的研究。
The World Economic Forum (WEF), a nonprofit group based in Switzerland, says water scarcity continues to be a problem worldwide.
总部设在瑞士的非营利组织世界经济论坛(WEF)表示，缺水仍然是全球范围内的一个问题。
The WEF said getting water from the atmosphere is a "promising emergency solution that can immediately generate drinkable water using moisture in the air."
世界环境基金会说，从大气中取水是一个 "很有前途的应急解决方案，它可以利用空气中的水分立即生成可饮用水"。
However, the group warns that the technology is costly.
然而，该组织警告称，这项技术成本高昂。
It estimates that one mid-sized device could cost between $30,000 and $50,000.
该公司估计，一台中型设备的价格可能在3万至5万美元之间。
I'm John Russell.
我是约翰·拉塞尔。
