See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.

net/publication/326235695

Application of a prototype for atmospheric water capture in urban agriculture,

a case study: Mentha piperita L.

Article  in  RESEARCH JOURNAL OF CHEMISTRY AND ENVIRONMENT · July 2018

CITATIONS READS

0 250

4 authors, including:

Alexandra Valderrama Monica tatiana Herrera

Saint Thomas University Saint Thomas University
1 PUBLICATION   0 CITATIONS    2 PUBLICATIONS   0 CITATIONS   

SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE

Carlos Peña
Universidad de La Salle
60 PUBLICATIONS   348 CITATIONS   

SEE PROFILE

Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects:

Manejo sostenible del sgua mediante la aplicación efeciente del rieo View project

Evaluación de la probabilidad de fallo en el suministro de agua en cuencas andinas influenciadas por cambio climático View project

All content following this page was uploaded by Carlos Peña on 02 September 2018.

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

Research Journal of Chemistry and Environment_____________________________________________Vol. 22 (7) July (2018)
Application of a prototype for atmospheric water
capture in urban agriculture, a case study:
Mentha piperita L.
Alexandra Valderrama1, Mónica Tatiana Herrera1, Carlos Peña-Guzmán1*and Quelbis Quintero2
1. Environmental Engineering Faculty, Universidad Santo Tomas, Research Group INAM-USTA, Bogotá, COLOMBIA
2. Environmental Engineering Faculty, Universidad Autónoma de Colombia, Grupo Bioindustrias, Bogotá, COLOMBIA
*carpeguz@gmail.com
Abstract
This paper presents a prototype for atmospheric water
capture using Peltier modules that condense water
vapor. The prototype offers several benefits: water
quality generated by clean air, ease of transportation
and installation, harvest of water from 500 m.a.s.l. to
2000 m.a.s.l. (for temperature and humidity). The
water generated by the prototype was used to irrigate
a Mentha piperita L. crop for which two weighing
lysimeters of 50% and 100% of humidity were installed
to determine the water demand of the plant in its life
cycles and thereby determine the number of plants that
the prototype can support.
Results showed that the prototype captures
approximately 86.68 mL of water/day with relative
humidity, temperature and current the most decisive
variables for water capture; for Mentha piperita L., the
total consumption of water for 50% of relative humidity
was 1698.165 mL in a 46.5 cm2 area. Having
calculated water consumption, we determined that the
prototype can support up to 6 plants with
characteristics similar to those of the case-study plant.
Therefore, this type of technology represents an
alternative for irrigation in urban agriculture given the
prototype can be adapted to a larger scale with
improved effectiveness.
Keywords: Urban agriculture, irrigation, water demand,
Peltier effect, condensation.
Introduction
Urban agriculture (UA) has assumed a crucial role in the
economic growth of cities small and large by significantly
reducing poverty and addressing problems of food
insecurity, primarily in areas with major population growth;
such countries are found on the continents of Africa and
Latin America, where 40 and 50%, respectively, of the urban
population depend on UA.37 De Zeeuw et al36 defined UA
as: “the growing of plants and trees and rearing of livestock
within or on the fringe of cities (intra-urban and peri-urban
agriculture, respectively), including related input provision,
processing and marketing activities and services.” The
advantages of UA are numerous: social inclusion, food
security, job opportunities, preservation of green spaces and
vegetative cover and adaptability to climate change.8
23
Res. J. Chem. Environ.
This practice has exhibited consistent growth. According to
Bourque,9 it is estimated that more than 800 million urban
residents engage in UA depends on factors including zone-
related characteristics, weather, economy, society and
culture.29 UA’s growth has been proportional to the rate of
growth and cities’ demands. However, water demand has
emerged as a serious issue, for there is scarce availability and
supply of this resource.3
Looking at water scarcity, one significant issue is related to
exceeding the recharge rate; key determinants of exceeding
this rate are economic development, agricultural and
industrial demand and demographic growth.25,33 Hanjra and
Qureshi19 found that approximately 80% of global
consumption of water is agricultural; thus, the lack of control
over irrigation water in urban centers creates pressure—in
terms of quantity and quality—on water resources,
exacerbating current issues of water access.37
According to Allen et al,2 crop’s water demand is only
partially met by precipitation and (complementary)
irrigation systems. Yet, in developing countries, especially
where weather is a factor (e.g. the El Niño phenomenon),
UA has come to rely more heavily on irrigation systems.
Consequently, rural and urban growers use groundwater or
interbasin transfer for their crop; this situation,
unsurprisingly, has put serious pressure on water
resources.17
There are a number of nonconventional methods for water
capture with the potential to increase water supply and
reduce the gap between freshwater supply and demand
including desalinization, rainwater capture, residential
wastewater reuse, agricultural drainage, capture of
atmospheric water vapor.35 Of these, the capture of
atmospheric water vapor has had a significant impact in
developed countries given its advantages over other
methods, advantages attributable to the fact that it is
adaptable to extreme conditions and utilizes air as a principle
of renewable clean water.
Since 1999, several ways to capture atmospheric water vapor
have been developed. For example, in 1999, the optimization
of cloud capture was embraced in Europe due to its
performance, reliance on environmental sources, low cost
(of installation, operation and maintenance) and quality of
water produced.1 Subsequently developed techniques
include: solar radiation collectors based on the use of
physical processes of dew formation,22 earth collectors,
Research Journal of Chemistry and Environment_____________________________________________Vol. 22 (7) July (2018)
which consist of tilted vertical channels that accumulate
water from atmospheric air, cooling the vapor until it reaches
dew point,3 water desalinization via hybrid humidification–
dehumidification using an air conditioning system,27
refrigerated radiation systems that condense atmospheric
vapor in large surfaces such as roofs, taking advantage of the
radioactive properties of passive refrigeration,1 the recovery
of condensed water from air conditioning systems, the use of
desiccant systems and modified solar systems,14 among
others.
In addition to the aforementioned capture technologies, a set
of techniques has emerged in recent years and led to greater
productivity and innovation. This set utilizes thermoelectric
phenomena. Some of these mechanisms act as coolers,
heaters, or energy sources.21
One thermoelectric-related technology uses the “Peltier
Effect”. In the words of Riffat and Ma,32 “The Peltier effect
is controlled by the Peltier coefficient, defined as the product
of Seebeck coefficient of the semiconductor material and the
absolute temperature.” This refers to a cooling effect
occurring as current passes from the n (-)-type material to
the p (+)-type material as well as a heating effect caused by
a current passing from the p-type material to the n-type
material, thereby generating a transfer of heat from one side
to the other.24
These modules are commonly used for refrigeration,23 air
conditioning systems,4 electricity sources by generating
electric tension via the difference in temperatures18 and
water-capture collectors by condensing atmospheric air.26,28
This last use is the most important one for the purposes of
the present research.
This study presents a prototype of atmospheric water capture
using the Peltier module; the effectiveness of this prototype
was evaluated in terms of the quantity and quality of water
generated. The prototype was used with a Mentha piperita
L. crop as a source of irrigation to examine the crop’s
development. Furthermore, the conditions for improvement
were determined by means of the search for the control of
energy and best performance, which were, in turn, based on
air humidity and air temperature conditions. The water
volume needed for irrigation was calculated by determining
the evapotranspiration (ET) of Mentha piperita L. with
weighing lysimeters.
Material and Methods
This research was done in Bogotá, the Colombian capital,
specifically in the Villa María neighborhood of the Suba
municipality (4°43'59.2068" N, 74°6'35.2584" W). The
project was carried out in 2 simultaneous stages:
construction of the prototype and determination of the crop’s
(Mentha piperita L) water demand.
The design consists of a 1-mm thick aluminum box as seen
in figure 1A; inside the box, there are two Peltier modules.
24
Res. J. Chem. Environ.
Each module is composed of two ceramic plates (electrically
isolated) with interspersed pairs of semiconductive
elements—one “P” (positive) type and the other “N”
(negative) type—joined by copper that is spread over a flat
surface; plates are connected electrically in series and
thermally in parallel which enables the provision of a
hot/cold surface generator.
On the heat surface, there is a heat sink that prevents heat
transfer and eliminates excessive temperatures to which the
module may be exposed. A fan ensures that air reaches the
heat sink and allows for the free flow of air. In this phase,
low temperatures are required for the cold surface to reach
dew-point temperatures.
The cold surface of the prototype has a 0.1-mm thick
aluminum sheet in the shape of a downspout so as to ensure
that water drops fall (i.e. gravity) and a small fan to increase
ventilation. The exterior of the prototype has a recipient for
storage and holes in the sides to allow for the free flow of air
(fig. 1B).
The prototype was evaluated in terms of water volume
generated; this volume was studied in comparison to relative
humidity (RH), temperature, amperage and dew-point
temperature. This last aspect is especially important, for it
provides the air temperature necessary to ensure the
condensation.11 Data collection was done over 23
consecutive days at 6-hour intervals. The temperature and
RH were determined using a hygro-thermometer and the
current with an ammeter. Dew-point temperature was
calculated to evaluate its relationship with the water volume
generated. To this end, the Murrey equation was used10:
237.3
𝑇𝑑𝑒𝑤 =
1
𝑅𝐻
ln(100) 𝑇
[ 17.27 ]+[237.3+𝑇]
{ }
where Tdew is the temperature of dew point (°C); T is the
average temperature (°C) and RH is the average relative
humidity (%).
Then, physicochemical assays were done to determine water
quality for irrigation supply. The physical parameters
included pH, electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids
(TDS), temperature, turbidity and concentration of dissolved
oxygen (DO). These variables were evaluated in situ using
the Hanna HI9829 multiparameter meter. With water
samples stored in 500 mL plastic bottles and preserved by
means of freezing, the chemical parameters of nitrites,
ammonia nitrogen and sulfur were measured in the
laboratory using colorimetry.
Determining the water demand of Mentha piperita L.: It
bears repeating that proper water-resource management for
a given crop entails the study of its particular water
requirements and ET. To this end, the use of a lysimeter to
Research Journal of Chemistry and Environment_____________________________________________Vol. 22 (7) July (2018)
Res. J. Chem. Environ.

measure ET is ideal, for it allows researchers to calculate the
water volume entering and exiting containers with an
isolated soil mass,34 providing exact figures for a crop’s
water consumption.30 The lysimeters used in this experiment
were equipped with a weighing system, which enabled the
calculation of ET via mass differences.16
Two weighing lysimeters were designed and installed to
study the experimental Mentha piperita L crop over 91 days,
a period encompassing all phenological phases (i.e. planting,
crop development stage, midseason stage and late-season
stage). The lysimeters were placed on a 1.2-m high metallic
structure and 2% slope to facilitate runoff. These two were
set to 100% and 50% of available humidity i.e. 27% and 20%
of soil humidity for Lysimeters 1 and 2 respectively; to avoid
the fringe effect, 4 gutters were installed on the sides of the
lysimeters (figure 2A for more on the lysimeters’ specific
characteristics).
Each lysimeter has a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) gutter with a
downspout and hydraulic lids and reinforced with a metallic
structure in the shape of arms to enhance resistance/strength
and acts as a support. The lysimeters were also equipped
with a weighing system with two load cells per lysimeter
(Loadstar, TAF-050-025-A*C01, model CELDA ILOAD
TR). The actual setup can be seen in figure 2B.

A) B)
Figure 1: A) Water-Capture Prototype (1) Peltier modules, (2) Fans, (3) recipient, (4) Power supply B) Photograph.
To build the prototype, the materials presented in table 1 were used

Table 1
Materials used to build the prototype for atmospheric water capture
Amount Materials Characteristics
1 Computer source 12V and 10 A
2 Peltier module TEC1-12706
1 Heat sink 9 x 21 x 5 cm
1 Aluminum sheet (0.1 mm) 28 x 5 cm
1 Beaker 150 ml
1 Thermal paste Temperature range: 50 to 260° C
1 Medium fan 12V and 0.9 A
1 Small fan 12V and 0.15 A
1 Computer charger Output: 12V - 2Amp
1 Hygro-thermometer Temp: Outdoor -50 a 70° C, Indoor 0 to 50° C; Hum: 20 to 90%
1 Aluminum box 25 x 23 x 24 cm
1 Ammeter EX830 – AC and DC current 0.1 to 1000 A

25
Research Journal of Chemistry and Environment_____________________________________________Vol. 22 (7) July (2018)
A)
Figure 2: A) Weighing lysimeters for Mentha piperita L. (1) Lysimeter 1 (2) Lysimeter 2 (3) Load sensor (4)
LoadVUE software B) Photograph of a weighing lysimeter used to study Mentha piperita L.
The data produced by the load cells were recorded and
visualized using LoadVUE software. The measuring interval
of the force of the weight of the load was configured for
every 30 minutes for 24 hours. Data were gathered over 91
days, starting at 8 a.m. The time (8 a.m.) is significant only
as we supplied at this hour to establish a baseline against
which we could do the variation in weight related to water
consumption (i.e. we supplied water at 8 a.m. every day to
ensure the lysimeters maintaining their initial conditions of
100% and 50% of available humidity).
Irrigation was provided in the form of tap water as well as
the water produced by the prototype. The water was
distributed using a pipe with a gate valve.
Results and Discussion
Volume of water captured: The sampling intervals were
done every 6 hours i.e. 4 daily samples for a period of 23
days. This produced a total of 92 samples. The 6-hour
intervals were used to compensate for the low water quantity
captured by the prototype during shorter time intervals.
Figure 3 displays the measured variables’ behavior during
the time period (with intervals of 6 hours/day).
The shaded area in figure 3 represents days with values
exceeding 100 mL d-1 of water captured: On the shaded days
(Days 14 and 17), temperatures did not exceed 18°C and RH
was nearly 60%. Day 1 began at 12:00 (noon); thus, water
quantity was minimal. Dew-point temperatures were not
highly representative. However, they presented peaks in
amperage, which meant that to obtain these water volumes,
currents must have exceeded 5A. As seen in figure 3, the
greatest water volumes were observed at temperatures below
20°C and with an RH over 60%.
Initially, temperatures higher than 20°C affected water
volume, yet these temperatures no longer significantly
affected volume. This may be attributable to the Peltier
module’s absorptive or docking capacity with the power
source, for the source provided an alternating current that
26
Res. J. Chem. Environ.
B)
changed the module’s capacity. In other words, if a constant
current had been maintained, the module would not have
undergone fluctuations.
The water-capture peak was observed on day 9, reaching
nearly 30 mL d-1 over a 6-hour period. On day 9, there was
a considerable reduction in temperature, dropping to 15°C,
one of the lowest observed during the entire sampling period.
There was also an increase in RH to 80%; the current used
by the module to capture this volume was 5A. The lowest
water volume captured was observed on day 4, with a value
of approximately 15 mL d-1, which coincided with the lowest
RH (40%) and the highest temperature (24°C) observed
during the study period. The highest current (6A) utilized by
the module was also observed on day 4. Therefore, we
concluded that higher temperatures combined with lower
RH led to increased currents (A). The data in figure 3 reveal
that similar behavior was observed for amperage and
temperature: As temperatures increased, so did the current.
We also looked at the most productive ranges of RH. These
ranges presented values over 80% on days 9, 10 and 12,
though, in figure 3, on these same days, there was also an
inversely proportional relationship with temperature i.e.
temperatures were low, which may indicate that the highest
water volumes were correlated with suboptimal temperature
compensated by RH. This behavior was exhibited on the
final test days (days 20 to 23), for which water volumes were
high, temperatures were moderately high and RH was high.
Dew point was not observed to impact water volume. To a
large extent, dew point remained constant and primarily
correlated with fluctuations in temperature, which is unusual
because studies on water condensation26,28 have considered
this variable (dew point) a point of control for water volume.
However, in our case, RH and temperature were more
impactful in terms of water volume.
As the results indicate, the highest volumes of water
generated by the prototype were between 106.2 and 100.8
mL d-1.
Research Journal of Chemistry and Environment_____________________________________________Vol. 22 (7) July (2018)
Res. J. Chem. Environ.

Figure 3: Behavior of water captured, temperature, humidity (RH), dew point and amperage during
the sampling period

Table 2
Spearman’s correlation coefficient and p-value for temperature (°C), RH (%), dew point (°C), amperage (A)
and water captured (mL)

Spearman’s correlation coefficient p-value

Temperature -0.486 Temperature 0.000
RH 0.450 -0.755 RH 0.000 0.000
Dew point 0.063 0.360 0.218 Dew point 0.625 0.004 0.089
Amperage -0.535 0.868 -0.862 0.009 Amperage 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.944
Water Dew Water Dew
Temperature RH Temperature RH
captured point captured point

In turn, analysis was carried out on the study variables using
Spearman’s correlation coefficient by means of
nonparametric methods i.e. the data analyzed did not fit a
normal distribution. The level of significance for this
analysis was 0.05. In table 2, the degree of relationship
between water captured, temperature, RH, dew point and
current (A) is shown. There was an inverse relationship
between water captured and temperature: As temperatures
increased, the prototype’s water-capture capacity decreased.
The level of significance of variables water captured and
temperature confirmed a statistically significant correlation
between the two.
RH and water captured were directly (positively) correlated
with higher RH correlated with higher water-capture
capacity. This variable had a p-value of 0, a high significance
for the proposed alternative hypothesis, giving the variable
humidity a decisive role in the capture of atmospheric water.
Dew point’s potential correlation with water captured and
RH was ruled out in light of the low level of significance
between these variables (0.089 and 0.625, respectively); yet,
a moderately positive correlation was observed between dew
point and temperature, revealing that for dew point,
27
temperature was of greater significance than RH. In table 2,
the relationships between temperature, dew-point
temperature and RH are displayed showing that humidity
was inversely related to temperature.
As for the variable amperage, an inverse correlation was
observed with water captured. For the former, lower
temperatures and higher RH led to more water captured,
which meant that less current was required. That is, when
ambient conditions favored prototype productivity, the
energy demand was significantly reduced. Amperage also
presented high positive and negative correlations with
temperature and RH respectively. Figures 3 and 4 were
created with MATLAB software.
We forecast the generation of water for 30 days beyond the
end of the study period using temperature, RH and water-
volume data. With these data, a multivariate regression was
performed and the equation illustrated in figure 4A was
formulated. Only temperature and RH were used for the
equation because these two were more tightly correlated;
furthermore, they could be easily measured in real time (a
crucial consideration when studying water supply to crops).
Research Journal of Chemistry and Environment_____________________________________________Vol. 22 (7) July (2018)
Figure 4: A) Volume of water captured by the prototype and the forecast; B) Behavior of the forecast of volume of
water captured with temperature and ambient RH
Figure 4B shows the result of the 30-day forecast for which
behavior was similar to that observed in the real-time
measurement. Namely, we observed that temperature
decreases and RH increases were correlated with higher
volumes of water capture. By the same token, temperature
increase and RH decrease were correlated with lower
volumes of water captured. Thus, the equation
𝑊𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑐𝑎𝑝𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒 = 0.3294 ∗ 𝑅𝐻 + 0.1187 ∗ 𝑇
can be used to forecast the water volume obtained from the
prototype based on temperature and ambient RH.
Physicochemical characteristics of the water: In table 3,
we present the physicochemical characterization of the water
captured and compare it to international standards for
irrigation.
Using the Chilean,20 FAO5 and EPA15 standards as a
baseline, we can say that the parameters of pH, conductivity,
TDS, turbidity and sulfates meet international requirements
for irrigation. In contrast, the concentration of DO, nitrites
and ammonia nitrogen presented values outside the limits
established by the Chilean standard and the FAO
respectively.
The high concentrations of DO, which exceeded the values
established by Chilean standards for high-quality irrigation
water, may be explained by the water captured not the
method of capture or production; that is, the water was
captured directly from the atmosphere, which increased the
likelihood of higher levels of oxygen molecules. For crops,
this excess may entail “oxidative stress,” which, according
to Demidchik,13 is induced by excessive production and
accumulation of molecules that contain activated oxygen,
thereby causing the plants’ metabolism to form highly toxic
substances and leading to the damage (or death) of some
plants.
The nitrites and ammonia nitrogen in the samples may be the
result of natural occurrence in the air i.e. they may seep into
28
Res. J. Chem. Environ.
the condensation of the atmospheric vapor or may be caused
by bovine excrement—in the zone, there is a small area
reserved for cattle. Another potential explanation is the
quantity of nitrogen/nitrous oxides (NOx) generated by cars,
for the experimental zone is near a parking lot. In irrigation
water, nitrites and ammonia nitrogen may lead plants to have
too many nutrients, which stimulates overly rapid
development and diminished the capacity to survive pests,
i.e. makes plants more disease prone. 12
Determining the water demand of Mentha piperita L.: To
determine crop water requirements, the volume of water
supplied for irrigation was compared to daily ET in the
stages of cultivation to identify plants’ total consumption for
each lysimeter.
ET for Lysimeter 1 fluctuated between 4.350 mm d−1 during
the planting stage, 38.099 mm d−1 during the crop-
development stage, 247.984 mm d−1 during the midseason
stage and 54.631 mm d−1 during the late-season stage (figure
5A). ET for Lysimeter 2 fluctuated between 3.480 mm d−1
during the sowing stage, 25.879 mm d−1 during the crop-
development stage, 291.198 mm d−1 during the midseason
stage and 46.238 mm d−1 for during the late-season stage
(figure 5B).
Figure 5 also shows the plants’ development during stages
of cultivation. Generally speaking, linear behavior was
observed. Lysimeter 2, as seen in figure 5B, had a better
response to the variable’s behavior. Thus, for the
development of a crop with this type of plant, a water volume
corresponding to 50% of available humidity would lead to
optimal results for ET and growth. For Lysimeter 1, the
plants reached a size of 26 cm and for Lysimeter 2, they
reached a size of 30 cm (as seen in figures 5A and 5B
respectively). ET increased proportionally to the plants
during the growth period. During the midseason stage, ET
was constant, with evaporation only slightly influential.
Beginning in the maturing period (i.e. late-season stage), a
reduction in ET was observed, primarily due to the increased
foliage and limited water, for water volume stayed constant
during the crop’s productive cycle.
Research Journal of Chemistry and Environment_____________________________________________Vol. 22 (7) July (2018)
Res. J. Chem. Environ.

Table 3
Comparison of standards for the parameters measured
Parameters Value Units Acceptable value Acceptable value Acceptable value
Measured (SI) for irrigation for irrigation for irrigation
(Chilean standard) (FAO) (EPA)
pH 7.49 - 6.5 - 8.5 6.5 – 8.4 6.5 - 8.5
Concentration DO 12.37 mg L-1 7.5 - -
Conductivity 0.0269 S m-1 <0.075 0-3 -
TDS 78 mg L-1 500 0 - 2000 500
Turbidity 0.8 NTU 30 - -
Temperature 16.4 °C - - -
Nitrites 0.07 mg L-1 0.06 - 1.0
Ammonia nitrogen 5.29 mg L-1 - 0-5 -
Sulfates 129 mg L-1 150 - 250

A)

B)

Figure 5: Relationship between growth and evapotranspiration (ET) Mentha piperita L.

A) Lysimeter 1 B) Lysimeter 2

With respect to the consumption of water in the Lysimeters,
Lysimeter 1 consumed less water than Lysimeter 2, which
can be attributed to plant growth and ET as well as the
humidity assigned to each Lysimeter. On day 8 for
Lysimeter 1 and day 10 for Lysimeter 2, water loss occurred
due to direct evaporation from the soil; this, in turn, was
reduced as the plants developed and started to rely on
transpiration and evaporation, a behavioral pattern that
continued throughout the crop’s growth stage until the soil
was covered by the foliar zone and most ET was the result
of transpiration.
On balance, the total water requirements were around
345.066 mL for Lysimeter 1 and 366.796 mL for Lysimeter
2 during the entire productive cycle of Mentha piperita L.
which was evaluated over a 91-day period. Over this period,
average ET values were 3.792 and 4.030 mm d-1 for
Lysimeters 1 and 2 respectively. The optimal conditions
were observed at half field capacity (Lysimeter 2),
equivalent to 50% of available humidity, in a 46.5-cm2 area.
For the different stages, the best conditions per plant were as
follows: planting-8.743 mL; crop development-120.339 mL;
midseason-1354.073 mL and late season-215.009 mL.
The following relationships were established between the
water demand of Mentha piperita L. at each growth stage
and the minimum, maximum and average volumes of
atmospheric water captured by the prototype (table 4).
As seen in table 4, the prototype can supply up to 2 gutters
(6 plants) daily in the majority of their phases, except for the
midseason stage. During this stage, ET and water demand
are higher. The required water deficit is represented by the
figures in red in table 4. However, it should also be noted
that for the other stages, the volume of water captured not
only met but exceeded the water demand. In some cases, the
accumulated water offset any prior deficit. For example, if
working with 2 gutters at 50% of available humidity, the
minimum amount of water that the prototype accumulated in
the sowing and cultivation stages was 69.06 mL which was
sufficient to offset the deficit during the midseason stage.

29
 Research Journal of Chemistry and Environment_____________________________________________Vol. 22 (7) July (2018)
Res. J. Chem. Environ.

Table 4
Difference in the water consumption (mL/day) per plant in each stage and each available humidity in terms of water
captured from the prototype (average, maximum and minimum)
50% of Available Humidity 100% of Available Humidity
Planting Development Midseason Late Planting Development Midseason Late
Consumption (Cons) 1.25 10.91 22.20 7.17 0.65 13.42 21.02 6.76
Plant/Day
1 Gutter (3 Plants) 3.75 32.73 66.59 21.50 1.95 40.25 63.06 20.29
2 Gutters 7.49 65.45 133.18 43.00 3.89 80.49 126.11 40.57
Min. Water Captured 71 71 71 71 71 71 71 71
Max. Water Captured 106.2 106.2 106.2 106.2 106.2 106.2 106.2 106.2
Avg. Water Captured 86.68 86.68 86.68 86.68 86.68 86.68 86.68 86.68
Dif. Cons Min- Gutter 1 67.25 38.27 4.41 49.50 69.05 30.75 7.94 50.71
Dif. Cons Min- Gutter 2 63.51 5.55 -62.18 28.00 67.11 -9.49 -55.11 30.43
Dif. Cons Max- Gutter 1 102.45 73.47 39.61 84.70 104.25 65.95 43.14 85.91
Dif. Cons Max- Gutter 2 98.71 40.75 -26.98 63.20 102.31 25.71 -19.91 65.63
Dif. Cons Avg- Gutter 1 82.93 53.95 20.09 65.18 84.73 46.43 23.62 66.39
Dif. Cons Avg- Gutter 2 79.19 21.23 -46.50 43.68 82.79 6.19 -39.43 46.11

Conclusion available humidity of 50% and 100%. However, the former

Based on the prototype data from the 23 days of testing, we
can say that the time interval from 12 a.m. to 6 a.m. produced
the most condensed water, reaching up to 103mL day-1.
Furthermore, the Spearman correlation analysis revealed
that the volume of water captured is directly and indirectly
related to the variables RH and temperature respectively (i.e.
humidity = direct relationship, temperature = indirect
relationship). These results match the observed
measurements, for which lower water quantities were
observed in conjunction with temperatures over 20°C and
RH under 60%, such that optimal results would be obtained
when using the prototype at temperatures under 20°C and
RH over 60%.
It should be noted that the supply of energy is crucial; if the
appropriate current is not administered to both Peltier
modules, the temperatures do not exhibit uniform
distribution and unequal amounts of water are produced,
even if the recommended conditions are otherwise followed.
With regard to water quality for irrigation, it is estimated that
the prototype meets the requirements of the selected
international standards. The values exceeding the
established limits were not overly significant compared to
the results for the Mentha piperita L. crop; thus, several
urban crops such as basil, rosemary and calendula, among
others, could be cultivated following the proposed method
without negative consequences. However, an analysis of
water quality specifically focused on crop growth should be
carried out, for local air quality has been shown to play a
major role in this regard.
The results of this study suggest that in theory, the prototype
is capable of supplying at least 6 Mentha piperita L. plants
each day during their life cycles for an area de 46.5 cm2 and
30
percentage represents the ideal conditions for the crop as
demonstrated by the relatively stronger development of
plants for Lysimeter 2-it is likely that plants for Lysimeter 1
received too much water, which induced excess water stress.
References
1. Al-hassan G.A., Fog water collection evaluation in Asir region -
Saudi Arabia, Water Resources Management, 23(13), 2805–2813,
doi: 10.1007/s11269-009-9410-9 (2009)
2. Allen R.G., Pereira L.S., Raes D. and Smith M.,
Evapotranspiración del cultivo, Guías para la determinación de los
requerimientos de agua de los cultivos, FAO (Food, Estudio FAO
Riego y Drenaje, FAO (Food, Roma, Italia, FAO (Food and
Agriculture Organization of the United Nations), doi: M-56 (2006)
3. Aly A.A., Technical Review on the Extraction of Water, Heat
and Mass Transfer, 4(3), 213–228 (2010)
4. Atta R., Solar Water Condensation Using Thermoelectric
Coolers, International Journal of Water Resources and Arid, 1(2),
142–145 (2011)
5. Ayers R.S. and Westcot D.W., Water Quality for Agriculture,
FAO of the United Nations, Rome, Italy, 97 (1985)
6. Barbagallo S., Cirelli G.L., Consoli S., Tamburino V. and
Toscano A., Remote sensing and surface energy flux models to
derive evapotranspiration and crop coefficient, Journal of
Agricultural Engineering, 39(2), 29–36 (2008)
7. Beysens D., Clus O., Mileta M., Milimouk I., Muselli M. and
Nikolayev V.S., Collecting dew as a water source on small islands:
the dew equipment for water project in Bi??evo (Croatia), Energy,
32(6), 1032–1037, doi: 10.1016/j.energy.2006.09.021 (2007)
8. De Bon H., Parrot L. and Moustier P., Review article Sustainable
urban agriculture in developing countries, A review, Agronomy for
Research Journal of Chemistry and Environment_____________________________________________Vol. 22 (7) July (2018)
Sustainable Development, 30, 21–32, doi:10.1051/agro (2010)
9. Bourque M., Policy Options for Urban Agriculture, cities,
growing food, Urban agriculture on the policy, (Undp), Available
at: http://www.ruaf.org/sites/default/files/Theme5.pdf, 121–148
(1996)
10. Cervantes-Osornio R., Arteaga-Ramirez R., Vazquez-Perea
M.A., Ojeda-Bustamante W. and Quevedo-Nolasco A.,
Comparación de modelos para estimar la presión real de vapor de
agua, Tecnologia y Ciencias del Agua, 4(2), 37–54 (2013)
11. Chauhan S.S. and Rajput S.P.S., Parametric analysis of a
combined dew point evaporative-vapour compression-based air
conditioning system, Alexandria Engineering Journal, 1, 1–12,
doi: 10.1016/j.aej.2016.05.005 (2016)
12. Chen J.H., The Combined Use of Chemical and Organic
Fertilizers and/or Biofertilizer for Crop Growth and Soil Fertility,
International Workshop on Sustained Management of the Soil-
Rhizosphere System for Efficient Crop Production and Fertilizer
Use, October, 1–11 (2006)
13. Demidchik V., Mechanisms of oxidative stress in plants: From
classical chemistry to cell biology, Environmental and
Experimental Botany, 109, 212–228, doi: 10.1016/j.envexpbot.
2014.06.021 (2015)
14. Elsarrag E. and Al Horr Y., Experimental Investigations on
Water Recovery from the Atmosphere in Arid Humid Regions’,
Rexresearch.com, September, Available at: https://
rexresearch.com/airwell2a/WatRecovAtm.pdf%5Cnhttp://www.ci
bse.org/content/cibsesymposium2011/Poster_Sept011_CIBSE.pd
f (2011)
15. Environmental Protection Agency, Water-Quality Criteria, 1–
25 (1998)
16. Evett S.R., Schwartz R.C., Howell T.A., Louis Baumhardt R.
and Copeland K.S., Can weighing lysimeter ET represent
surrounding field ET well enough to test flux station measurements
of daily and sub-daily ET?, Advances in Water Resources, 50, 79–
90, doi: 10.1016/j.advwatres.2012.07.023 (2012)
17. Fischer G. and Shah M., Socio-economic and climate change
impacts on agriculture: an integrated assessment, 1990–2080,
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological
Sciences, 360(1463), 2067–2083, doi: 10.1098/rstb.2005.1744
(2005)
18. Hájovský R., Pieš M. and Richtár L., Analysis of the
Appropriateness of the Use of Peltier Cells as Energy Sources,
Sensors, 16(6), 760, doi: 10.3390/s16060760 (2016)
19. Hanjra M.A. and Qureshi M.E., Global water crisis and future
food security in an era of climate change, Food Policy, 35(5), 365–
377, doi: 10.1016/j.foodpol.2010.05.006 (2010)
20. INN, Requisitos de Calidad del Agua para Diferentes Usos,
Instituto nacional de normalización (1978)
21. Junior C., Richter C., Tegethoff W., Lemke N. and Köhler J.,
Modeling and Simulation of a Thermoelectric Heat Exchanger
Using the Object-Oriented Library TIL, Modelica, 437–445 (2008)
31
Res. J. Chem. Environ.
22. Khalil B., Adamowski J., Shabbir A., Jang C., Rojas M., Reilly
K. and Ozga-Zielinski B., A review: dew water collection from
radiative passive collectors to recent developments of active
collectors, Sustainable Water Resources Management, 2(1), 71–
86, doi: 10.1007/s40899-015-0038-z (2016)
23. Khode S.S., Kale P. and Gandhile C., Review on Application
of Thermoelectric Peltier Module in cooling and power generating
Technology, International Journal of Engineering and Technical
Research, 3(1), 71–74 (2015)
24. Kraemer D., Poudel B., Feng H.P., Caylor J.C., Yu B., Yan X.,
Ma Y., Wang X., Wang D., Muto A., McEnaney K., Chiesa M.,
Ren Z. and Chen G., High-performance flat-panel solar
thermoelectric generators with high thermal concentration, Nature
Materials, 10(7), 532–538, doi: 10.1038/nmat3013 (2011)
25. McMichael A.J., Global climate change and health: an old story
writ large, Climate Change and Human Health, 1–17 (2004)
26. Muñoz-García M.A., Moreda G.P., Raga-Arroyo M.P. and
Marín-González O., Water harvesting for young trees using Peltier
modules powered by photovoltaic solar energy, Computers and
Electronics in Agriculture, 93, 60–67, doi:
10.1016/j.compag.2013.01.014 (2013)
27. Nada S.A., Elattar H.F. and Fouda A., Experimental study for
hybrid humidification-dehumidification water desalination and air
conditioning system, Desalination, 363, 112–125, doi:
10.1016/j.desal.2015.01.032 (2015)
28. Nandy A., Saha S., Ganguly S. and Chattopadhyay S., A
Project on Atmospheric Water Generator with the Concept of
Peltier Effect, International Journal of Advanced Computer
Research, 4(2), 1–6 (2014)
29. Nugent R., The impact of urban agriculture on the household
and local economies, Growing cities, growing food: Urban
agriculture on the policy agenda, A reader on urban agriculture,
67–97, Available at: https://www.ruaf.org/sites/default/files/
Theme3_1_1.PDF (2000)
30. Payero J.O. and Irmak S., Construction, installation and
performance of two repacked weighing lysimeters, Irrigation
Science, 26(2), 191–202, doi:10.1007/s00271-007-0085-9 (2008)
31. Qadir M., Sharma B.R., Bruggeman A., Choukr-Allah R. and
Karajeh F., Non-conventional water resources and opportunities
for water augmentation to achieve food security in water scarce
countries, Agricultural Water Management, 87(1), 2–22, doi:
10.1016/j.agwat.2006.03.018 (2007)
32. Riffat S.B. and Ma X., Thermoelectrics: A review of present
and potential applications, Applied Thermal Engineering, 23(8),
913–935, doi: 10.1016/S1359-4311(03)00012-7 (2003)
33. Ruggiero G., Verdiani G. and Dal Sasso S., Evaluation of
carrying capacity and territorial environmental sustainability,
Journal of Agricultural Engineering, 43(2), doi:
10.4081/jae.2012.e10 (2012)
34. Ruiz Peñalver L., Vera Repullo J.A., Jimenez-Buendia M.,
Guzman I. and Molina Martinez J.M., Development of an
innovative low-cost weighing lysimeter for potted plants:
Research Journal of Chemistry and Environment_____________________________________________Vol. 22 (7) July (2018)
Application in lysimetric stations, Agricultural Water
Management, 151, 103–113, doi: 10.1016/j.agwat.2014.09.020
(2015)
35. Smakhtin V., Ashton P., Batchelor A., Meyer R., Murray E.,
Barta B., Bauer N., Naidoo D., Olivier J. and Terblanche D.,
Unconventional Water Supply Options in South Africa, Water
International, 26(3), 314–334, doi: 10.1080/02508060108686924
(2001)
36. De Zeeuw H., van Veenhuizen R. and Dubbeling M., The role
32
View publication stats
Res. J. Chem. Environ.
of urban agriculture in building resilient cities in developing
countries, The Journal of Agricultural Science, 149(S1), 153–163,
doi: 10.1017/S0021859610001279 (2011)
37. Zezza A. and Tasciotti L., Urban agriculture, poverty and food
security: Empirical evidence from a sample of developing
countries, Food Policy, 35(4), 265–273, doi:10.1016/j.foodpol.
2010.04.007 (2010).
(Received 30th October 2017, accepted 17th January 2018)