WO2024108306A1 - Methods and apparatuses for liquid desorption from sorbents - Google Patents

Abstract

The present application relates to methods and apparatuses for desorbing water from sorbents. In particular, the methods comprise treating the sorbent on which water has been adsorbed with one of centrifugation, vibration, ultrasonication or pressure differential, to desorb the water; and collecting the desorbed water.

Description

METHODS AND APPARATUSES FOR LIQUID DESORPTION FROM SORBENTS

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] The present application claims the benefit of priority of co-pending U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/427,734, which was filed November 23, 2022, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

FIELD

[0002] The present application is in the field of liquid harvesting with sorbents. More specifically, the present application relates to the field of water harvesting with sorbents as well as methods and apparatuses for desorbing water from sorbents.

BACKGROUND

[0003] The adsorption and desorption in porous materials for atmospheric water harvesting relies on the principle of capillary condensation. Capillary condensation is a gas to liquid phase transition of an adsorbate in a porous material and under certain thermodynamic conditions. Capillary condensation happens at a vapor pressure lower than the saturation partial pressure (i.e. dew point) of the adsorbate. Suitable conditions include the type of adsorbate and porous material, the pore diameter and pore size distribution, and the gas temperature.

[0004] Conventional desorption of sorbents is performed with heat by the vaporisation of the trapped moisture. Beside different hysteresis curves, the process is generally the same for Metal-organic framework (MOF) or decorated or plain carbonaceous nanoporous sponges (NPS). This leads to a general minimum phase change energy consumption in the order of 1000Wh/L for any method that requires thermal desorption.

[0005] As such, there is need to provide improved methods to overcome at least some of the drawbacks of known methods. As such, there is a need to develop new methods as a way of side-stepping the energy requirement of water vaporization and to greatly increase the efficiency. SUMMARY

[0006] It has been shown herein that methods of the present application provide for low energy requirement and increased efficiency.

[0007] Accordingly, the present application includes a method for desorbing water from a sorbent, the method comprising: treating the sorbent on which water has been adsorbed with one or a combination of various body forces such as for example centrifugation, ultrasonication or pressure differential, to desorb the water with or without the use of heat; and collecting the desorbed water.

[0008] Included is a method for desorbing water from a sorbent, the method comprising: treating the sorbent on which water has been adsorbed with at least one of centrifugation, ultrasonication, thermal desorption and pressure differential, to desorb the water; and collecting the desorbed water.

[0009] Further provided is a method for desorbing water from a sorbent, the method comprising: treating the sorbent on which water has been adsorbed with at least one of centrifugation, vibration, thermal desorption and pressure differential, to desorb the water; and collecting the desorbed water.

[0010] The present application also includes use of at least one of centrifugation, vibration, ultrasonication, thermal desorption and pressure differential, for desorbing water from a sorbent.

[0011] Other features and advantages of the present application will become apparent from the following detailed description. It should be understood, however, that the detailed description and the specific examples, while indicating embodiments of the application, are given by way of illustration only and the scope of the claims should not be limited by these embodiments but should be given the broadest interpretation consistent with the description as a whole.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0012] The embodiments of the application will now be described in greater detail with reference to the attached drawings in which:

[0013] FIG.1 shows water extracted from NPS after centrifugation at 470 g (2000 RPM) during 5 minutes, according to exemplary embodiments of the application.

[0014] FIG.2A shows water extracted from NPS with the improved desorption tube and FIG.2B shows water extracted by centrifugation, according to exemplary embodiments of the application.

[0015] FIG.3A shows an ultrasonication and vibrational setup for water extraction and FIG.3B shows water extracted after ultrasonication, according to exemplary embodiments of the application.

[0016] FIG.4 shows a syringe setup for pressure swing tests, according to exemplary embodiments of the application.

[0017] FIG.5 shows a graph presenting mass variation of NPS with reducing water extraction rate for longer test duration, after vacuum tests at 5kPa (absolute pressure) with continuous pump operation for 1 mm and 5 cm thick layer samples, according to exemplary embodiments of the application.

[0018] FIG.6 shows setup for mass variation study of FIG.5, for 5 g of NPS in a 1 mm layer, according to exemplary embodiments of the application.

[0019] FIG.7 shows setup for mass variation study of FIG.5, for 28 g of NPS in 1 mm layers in a stacked configuration, according to exemplary embodiments of the application.

[0020] FIG.8 shows setup for mass variation study of FIG.5, for 80 g of NPS in a 5 cm layer, according to exemplary embodiments of the application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

I. Definitions

[0021 ] Unless otherwise indicated, the definitions and embodiments described in this and other sections are intended to be applicable to all embodiments and aspects of the present application herein described for which they are suitable as would be understood by a person skilled in the art.

[0022] As used in this application and claim(s), the words "comprising" (and any form of comprising, such as "comprise" and "comprises"), "having" (and any form of having, such as "have" and "has"), "including" (and any form of including, such as "include" and "includes") or "containing" (and any form of containing, such as "contain" and "contains"), are inclusive or open-ended and do not exclude additional, unrecited elements or process steps.

[0023] The term “consisting” and its derivatives as used herein are intended to be closed terms that specify the presence of the stated features, elements, components, groups, integers, and/or steps, and also exclude the presence of other unstated features, elements, components, groups, integers and/or steps.

[0024] The term “consisting essentially of’, as used herein, is intended to specify the presence of the stated features, elements, components, groups, integers, and/or steps as well as those that do not materially affect the basic and novel characteristic(s) of these features, elements, components, groups, integers, and/or steps.

[0025] The terms "about", “substantially” and “approximately” as used herein mean a reasonable amount of deviation of the modified term such that the end result is not significantly changed. These terms of degree should be construed as including a deviation of at least ±5% of the modified term if this deviation would not negate the meaning of the word it modifies or unless the context suggests otherwise to a person skilled in the art.

[0026] As used in the present application, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” include plural references unless the content clearly dictates otherwise. [0027] In embodiments comprising an “additional” or “second” component, such as an additional or second compound, the second component as used herein is chemically different from the other components or first component. A “third” component is different from the other, first, and second components, and further enumerated or “additional” components are similarly different.

[0028] The term “and/or” as used herein means that the listed items are present, or used, individually or in combination. In effect, this term means that “at least one of” or “one or more” of the listed items is used or present.

[0029] The term “suitable” as used herein means that the selection of the particular composition or conditions would depend on the specific steps to be performed, the identity of the components to be transformed and/or the specific use for the compositions, but the selection would be well within the skill of a person trained in the art.

[0030] The terms “metal-organic framework” or “MOF” as used herein refer to a class of compounds comprising metal ions or clusters coordinated to organic ligands to form one-, two-, or three-dimensional structures containing potential voids (pores).

[0031 ] The terms “porous” or “porosity” as used herein refer to the void (i.e. "empty") spaces in a material.

[0032] The term “nanosponge” or “NPS” as used herein refer to carbonaceous material having a nanoporous structure, according to the present application.

II. Methods of the Application

[0033] It has been shown herein that methods of the present application provide for low energy requirement and increased efficiency. The methods comprise the main strategies of: centrifugation, vibrations and ultrasonication, thermal and pressurebased desorption.

[0034] Accordingly, the present application includes a method for desorbing water from a sorbent, the method comprising: treating the sorbent on which water has been adsorbed with at least one of centrifugation, ultrasonication, thermal desorption and pressure differential, to desorb the water; and collecting the desorbed water.

[0035] Also included is a method for desorbing water from a sorbent, the method comprising: treating the sorbent on which water has been adsorbed with at least one of one of centrifugation, vibration, thermal desorption and pressure differential, to de-sorb the water; and collecting the desorbed water.

[0036] In some embodiments, the sorbent is treated with centrifugation. In some embodiments, the centrifugation comprises applying a centrifugal force of about 20 g to about 8000 g. In some embodiments, the centrifugation comprises applying a centrifugal force of about 20 g to about 5000 g. In some embodiments, the centrifugation comprises applying a centrifugal force of about 20 g to about 2000 g. In some embodiments, the centrifugation comprises applying a centrifugal force of about 25 g to about 500 g.

[0037] In some embodiments, the sorbent is treated with ultrasonication. In some embodiments, the ultrasonication is conducted at a frequency of about 10 Hz to about 60 Hz. In some embodiments, the ultrasonication is conducted at a frequency of about 15 Hz to about 50 Hz. In some embodiments, the ultrasonication is conducted at a frequency of about 20 Hz to about 45 Hz.

[0038] In some embodiments, the sorbent is treated with vibration. In some embodiments, the sorbent is treated with vibrations of about 10 kHz to about 2 MHz. In some embodiments, the sorbent is treated with vibrations of about 15 kHz to about 500 kHz. In some embodiments, the sorbent is treated with vibrations of about 20 kHz to about 100 kHz.

[0039] In some embodiments, the sorbent is treated with thermal desorption. In some embodiments, the thermal desorption is conducted at a temperature of about 15 °C to about 90 °C. In some embodiments, the thermal desorption is conducted at a temperature of about 15 °C to about 70 °C. In some embodiments, the thermal desorption is conducted at a temperature of about 20 °C to about 70 °C. In some embodiments, the thermal desorption is conducted at a temperature of about 25 °C to about 60 °C. In some embodiments, the thermal desorption is conducted at a temperature of about 15 °C to about 30 °C. In some embodiments, the thermal desorption is conducted at a temperature of about 20 °C to about 25 °C.

[0040] In some embodiments, the sorbent is treated with a pressure differential chosen from positive pressure and vacuum. In some embodiments, the vacuum is absolute pressure of about 1 kPa to about 50 kPa. In some embodiments, wherein the vacuum is absolute pressure of about 5 kPa to about 35 kPa. In some embodiments, wherein the vacuum is absolute pressure of about 10 kPa to about 25 kPa.

[0041 ] In some embodiments, the sorbent is a porous materiel chosen from Metal-Organic Framework (MOF) and carbon-based nanoporous sponges (NPS). In some embodiments, the sorbent is a porous materiel chosen from Metal-Organic Framework (MOF). In some embodiments, the sorbent is a porous materiel chosen from carbon-based nanoporous sponges (NPS). In some embodiments, the sorbent comprises a porous structure tailored for capillary condensation. In some embodiments, the sorbent is a material disposed in layers of about 0.5 mm to about 5 cm. In some embodiments, the multilayered material comprises layers of about 0.5 mm to about 10 mm. In some embodiments, the multilayered material comprises layers of about 1 mm to about 5 mm. In some embodiments, the multilayered material comprises layers of about 1 mm to about 3 mm. In some embodiments, the multilayered material comprises layers of about 0.5 mm to about 5 mm. Without being bound to theory, it will be appreciated that the thickness of the layer used in the method for desorption can be directly proportional with the particle size of the sorbent material. It will also be appreciated that desorption may be less efficient when a thicker layer is used as water will need to diffuse through the layer to get released, but selection of a suitable thickness would be within the purview of a skilled person in the art. In some embodiments, the sorbent material has an average particle size of about 0.5 mm to about 1.5 mm. In some embodiments, the sorbent material has an average particle size of about 0.6 mm to about 1.2 mm. In some embodiments, the sorbent material has an average particle size of about 0.65 mm to about 1 mm.

[0042] In some embodiments, the desorbed water collected is from 10% to 80% of the total water adsorbed on the sorbent before treating. In some embodiments, the desorbed water collected is from 15% to 75% of the total water adsorbed on the sorbent before treating. In some embodiments, the desorbed water collected is from 20% to 70% of the total water adsorbed on the sorbent before treating. In some embodiments, the desorbed water collected is from 25% to 50% of the total water adsorbed on the sorbent before treating. In some embodiments, the desorbed water collected is from 40% to 70% of the total water adsorbed on the sorbent before treating.

[0043] In some embodiments, the treating is conducted for a period of about 1 minute to about 2 hours. In some embodiments, the treating is conducted for a period of about 2 minutel to about 1 hour. In some embodiments, the treating is conducted for a period of about 5 minutes to about 50 minutes. In some embodiments, the treating is conducted for a period of about 10 minutes to about 45 minutes. In some embodiments, the treating is conducted for a period of about 1 minute to about 15 minutes.

[0044] In some embodiments, the method further comprises repeating the treating and collecting, to desorb and collect additional water. In some embodiments, the repeating the treating and collecting may be repeated multiple times and the treating may be conducted with the same or different treatment each time.

[0045] The present application further includes use of at least one of centrifugation, vibration, ultrasonication, thermal desorption and pressure differential, for desorbing water from a sorbent.

EXAMPLES

[0046] The following non-limiting examples are illustrative of the present application.

A. Centrifugation [0047] The first extraction method investigated is body force from centrifugation. The goal of this method is to directly extract a fraction of the water adsorbed by the NPS by using centrifugal force. All centrifugation tests were performed on NPS pyrolyzed externally from the same provider. A crude test was initially performed to assess the applicability of the method and the results can be seen in FIG.1 . After 5m in at 2000 RPM, water was visible on the face of the plastic vial.

[0048] Following the initial results, an improved desorption tube was developed to keep water and NPS separate after desorption (FIG.2A). This new setup allowed to collect the water and perform repeated tests (FIG.2B) to confirm the operating parameters.

[0049] The methodology employed for parameters testing went as follow.

• Saturate a large volume of NPS either over boiling water (100% RH), using a purpose-made DVS system set to 95% RH, or using a saturated potassium sulfate brine to maintain 97.5% RH in a sealed container.

• Weight 5g of NPS in a fine stainless steel wire mesh and put them in the desorption vial.

• Perform the centrifugation.

• Retrieve the NPS from the pouch.

• Recover the water with a syringe.

• Completely dry the NPS in a vacuum oven and record their dry mass.

[0050] Results for the first round of test for NPS saturated over boiling water are presented in Table 1. To confirm repeatable behaviour, the NPS were subjected to a second round of saturation as presented in Table 2.

Table 1: Desorption results from the first centrifugation of new NPS saturated over boiling water

Table 2: Desorption results from the second centrifugation of NPS saturated over boiling water

[0051] Finally, as boiling water may leave some surface water due to condensation and dripping from the lid, saturation was also performed under a 97% relative humidity (RH) controlled environment with potassium sulfate salt. Results for this saturation are reported in Table 3.

Table 3: Desorption results from the second centrifugation of NPS saturated over potassium sulfate

[0052] Under most centrifugation parameters, 25% to 30% of the total adsorbed water can be extracted with low energy requirements. Energy estimates for water extraction by centrifugation were produced based on different hypotheses. Based on a 20W electrical motor running for 5m in, the energy requirement at 100% recovery rate is 3.3Wh/L, 4.9Wh/L at 67% recovery and 13.3Wh/L at 25% recovery. Even at low efficiency, this extraction method widely outperforms thermodynamic based methods energy-wise. This extraction method can also be combined with thermal desorption to extract the residual water. Desorption schemes can be implemented to either maximize energy efficiency (centrifugation only) or to maximize the water output (centrifugation followed by thermal desorption).

[0053] Without being bound to theory, centrifugal body forces may only compete with capillary pressure holding water inside larger pores. In other words, centrifugation targets water present in larger pores (~pm), while thermal desorption is used for water trapped in smaller pores (~nm). Centrifugation thus provides a means for water removal in systems with wider pore size distributions.

[0054] The NPS tested by centrifugation so far were of known low quality from sub-par external pyrolysis experiments. Tests with NPS of known good quality saturated with potassium sulfate should be attempted to provide results more representative of the final NPS.

[0055] Additionally, partially desorbed NPS from the centrifugation process can be placed back into saturation conditions to cycle them on a targeted range of water uptake without performance penalty. There is no need to completely dry them between saturation cycles. This process can allow for a higher total water throughput or improved thermodynamic efficiency or more rapid cycling. Further tests will be performed to quantify possible cycling speed and daily water yield under such operating conditions.

B. Vibrations and Ultrasonication

[0056] Low and high frequency vibrations are another alternative desorption strategy that was investigated. Inertial body forces can be supplied to NPS in many ways. The adsorbed water being liquid, while the NPS are rigid, allows to vibrate the solid structure of the NPS to shed away the water. Desorption was performed in a 42 kHz ultrasonic bath with the NPS sitting at the bottom of a beaker. A new system comprised of a 20kHz ultrasonic probe in direct contact with the NPS suspended in a stainless steel mesh attached on top of a jar (FIG.3A) was able to extract water (FIG.3B).

[0057] Based on preliminary data before optimization, it was possible to vaporize 0.29g of water using 1.5kJ of energy. These values should be refined in upcoming experiments, and low frequency vibrations should also be explored.

[0058] Similarly to centrifugation tests, the NPS desorbed with vibrations or ultrasonication can be readily saturated for subsequent cycles without performance loss. Further tests should be performed to quantify possible cycling speed and daily water yield under such operating conditions.

C. Pressure-based Desorption

[0059] Another desorption method that was investigated is pressure-based desorption. Instead of relying on body forces and inertia, this method introduces a pressure differential across the sorbent. The pressure differential can be either positive or negative with either pressure or vacuum. Generally, reduced pressure, around or below the partial pressure of water, is reducing the required thermal energy by promoting evaporation. Otherwise, high pressure can be used, for example, to push or pull water out of the pores. [0060] Pressure-based tests were initially performed with two opposing syringes (FIG.4). Pressure was quickly applied on the plunger to displace air and water toward the second syringe without success due to the non-continuous nature of the pores, but further experiments should be performed. Otherwise, a more successful result was obtained when a vacuum was created in the second syringe by increasing its volume for a set amount of time before releasing it. Traces of water condensation were observed on the walls of the second syringe.

[0061 ] Tests were then performed with a vacuum oven, at 33kPa (absolute pressure) and at room temperature. Preliminary desorption results are presented in Table 4.

[0062] A different configuration with vacuum up to 5kPa (absolute pressure) was prepared to test if improved vacuum significantly accelerates the desorption process. Under this vacuum, two different desorption conditions were tested. In the first test, the pump was operating only during the creation of the initial vacuum. During the second test, the pump was continuously operated for the whole test duration. Results for both tests are reported in Tables 5 and 6. Continuous operation of pump allowed to recover 40% of the adsorbed water in 20 minutes. Initial energy evaluations for water extraction from the NPS range between 32Wh/L for discontinuous operation of the pump and 216Wh/L for continuous pump operation. In the same way as for the centrifugation tests, these results were obtained with lower quality NPS. Limited tests with high quality NPS were performed and similar results were obtained (42% water recovery after 20 minutes), as presented in Table 7. Follow-up experiments should investigate the rate of desorption over time under constant vacuum in order to optimize the energy efficiency of water extraction. After scale-up, a reduction in desorption energy between 75% and 97% can be expected.

[0063] The effect relating the thickness of the NPS layer to the desorption rate was also investigated experimentally between 1 mm and 5 cm. NPS were distributed as thin layers of thickness of about 1 -2 mm in single layer configurations (as shown in FIG.6) or in a stacked configuration of single layers (as shown in FIG.7) (30 layers stacked but not in contact with one another), as well as a thick layer with over 80 grams in a beaker forming a layer 5 cm thick (as shown in FIG.8). It will be appreciated that the samples from FIGs. 6 to 8 are provided such that at least one surface of the layer is exposed. An apparatus capable to hold multiple individual thin layer was employed to isolate the effect of total mass in relation to layer thickness. The first sample (FIG.6) had a mass of approximately 5 grams while the apparatus with stacked layers (FIG.7) contained approximately 28.2 grams of NPS. In these examples, the NPS material had an average particle size of about 0.6-0.75 mm. Results from desorption experiments are presented in Table 8 and 9. The results are also combined in FIG.5 to highlight the constant desorption behaviour presented by thin layered samples regardless of their mass. Without being bound to theory, these results demonstrate that the desorption in thicker layers is less efficient, which may be explained by the water having a greater diffusion path to be released at the surface.

[0064] Furthermore, partial desorption of the NPS can be desirable under some circumstances, to improve the overall efficiency of the atmospheric water harvesting process. NPS do not need to be completely dried between cycles to maintain their properties. Further tests should be performed to quantify possible cycling speed and daily water yield under such operating conditions.

[0065] The water desorption methods discussed in the present application often does not allow complete desorption of the water contained within the sorbent. However, this can be considered as an opportunity: the adsorption and desorption of the first few molecules of water on a given surface are often the rate-limiting steps. By cycling sorption/desorption on the “upper 30%-60%” of water through these nonthermal means, the advantage of rapid cycling may be provided. Combined with the low cost of the NPS material, this offers a path towards efficient and faster water harvesting.

Table 4: Mass variation of NPS with reduced performances after vacuum tests at 33kPa (absolute pressure) with continuous vacuum

Table 5: Mass variation of NPS with reduced performances after vacuum tests at 5kPa (absolute pressure) with vacuum pump operating during initial vacuum creation

Table 6: Mass variation of NPS with reduced performances after vacuum tests at 5kPa (absolute pressure) with continuous pump operation in thin single layer configuration

Table 7: Mass variation of high performing NPS after vacuum tests at 5kPa

(absolute pressure) with continuous pump operation

Table 8: Mass variation of NPS with reduced performances after vacuum tests at 5kPa (absolute pressure) with continuous pump operation in thin multiple layer configuration

Table 9: Mass variation of NPS with reduced performances after vacuum tests at 5kPa (absolute pressure) with continuous pump operation in thick layer configuration

[0066] While the applicant's teachings described herein are in conjunction with various embodiments for illustrative purposes, it is not intended that the applicant's teachings be limited to such embodiments as the embodiments described herein are intended to be examples. On the contrary, the applicant's teachings described and illustrated herein encompass various alternatives, modifications, and equivalents, without departing from the embodiments described herein, the general scope of which is defined in the appended claims.

REFERENCES [0067] Legrand U., Girard-Lauriault P.L., Meunier J.L., Boudreault R., Tavares J.R. (2022) Experimental and theoretical assessment of water sorbent kinetics, Langmuir

[0068] Legrand U., Castillo Sanchez J.R., Boudreault R., Meunier J. L., Girard- Lauriault P.L., Tavares J.R. (2022) Fundamental thermodynamic properties of sorbents for atmospheric water capture, Chemical Engineering Journal 431 , 134058

[0069] Legrand U., Klassen D., Watson S., Aufoujal A., Nisol B., Boudreault R., Waters K., Meunier J.L., Girard-Lauriault P.L., Wertheimer M.R., Tavares J.R. (2021 ) Nanoporous sponges as carbon-based sorbents for atmospheric water generation, Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research 60, 35, 12923-12933.

Claims

1 . A method for desorbing water from a sorbent, the method comprising: treating the sorbent on which water has been adsorbed with at least one of centrifugation, ultrasonication, thermal desorption and pressure differential, to desorb the water; and collecting the desorbed water.

2. A method for desorbing water from a sorbent, the method comprising: treating the sorbent on which water has been adsorbed with at least one of centrifugation, vibration, thermal desorption and pressure differential, to desorb the water; and collecting the desorbed water.

3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the sorbent is treated with centrifugation.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the centrifugation comprises applying a centrifugal force of about 20 g to about 8000 g.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sorbent is treated with ultrasonication.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the ultrasonication is conducted at a frequency of about 10 kHz to about 60 kHz.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the sorbent is treated with vibrations of about 10 kHz to about 2 MHz.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the sorbent is treated with vibrations of about 20 to about 100 kHz.

9. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the sorbent is treated with thermal desorption. The method of claim 8, wherein the thermal desorption is conducted at a temperature of about 15 °C to about 90 °C. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the sorbent is treated with a pressure differential chosen from positive pressure and vacuum. The method of claim 10, wherein the vacuum is absolute pressure of about 1 kPa to about 50 kPa. The method of claim 10, wherein the vacuum is absolute pressure of about 5 kPa to about 35 kPa. The method of any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the sorbent is a porous materiel chosen from Metal-Organic Framework (MOF) and carbon-based nanoporous sponges (NPS). The method of any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the sorbent is a porous materiel chosen from Metal-Organic Framework (MOF). The method of any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the sorbent is a porous materiel chosen from carbon-based nanoporous sponges (NPS). The method of any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein the sorbent comprises a porous structure tailored for capillary condensation. The method of any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein the sorbent is a porous materiel having an average particle size of about 0.5 mm to about 1 ,5mm. The method of any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein the sorbent is a porous materiel disposed in a layer of about 1 mm to about 5 cm. The method of any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein the sorbent is a porous materiel disposed in a layer of about 1 mm to about 10 mm. The method of any one of claims 1 to 20, wherein the desorbed water collected is from 10% to 80% of the total water adsorbed on the sorbent before treating. The method of any one of claims 1 to 21 , wherein the treating is conducted for a period of about 1 minute to about 2 hours. The method any one of claims 1 to 22, further comprising repeating the treating and collecting, to desorb and collect additional water. Use of at least one of centrifugation, vibration, ultrasonication, thermal desorption and pressure differential, for desorbing water from a sorbent.