Abstract:
The collection of fog water is a simple and
sustainable technology to obtain fresh water for afforestation,
gardening, and as a drinking water source for human
and animal consumption. In regions where fresh water is
sparse and fog frequently occurs, it is feasible to set up a
passive mesh system for fog water collection. The mesh is
directly exposed to the atmosphere, and the foggy air is
pushed through the mesh by the wind. Fog droplets are
deposited on the mesh, combine to form larger droplets,
and run down passing into a storage tank. Fog water collection
rates vary dramatically from site to site but yearly
averages from 3 to 10 l m-2 of mesh per day are typical of
operational projects. The scope of this article is to review
fog collection projects worldwide, to analyze factors of
success, and to evaluate the prospects of this technology.