Powdered Water - Just Add What?

Powdered water - just add CO2 to save the world.

Your wet truck or van may be a thing of the past! Just imagine if you could transport your pure water for window cleaning dry, without all the costly set-ups & just buy it bulk from your nearest distributor? Your water fed pole system would never be the same again...

Dry water a reality that could save world from global warming, say scientists:

• Powder is droplets coated in silica
• Soaks up CO2 three times faster
• Toxic liquids transported as powder

Your dad just lost one of his jokes. Powdered water – a favourite among many bad dad jokes involving improbable concepts such as flameproof matches, inflatable dartboards and glow-in-the-dark sunglasses – is now a reality. And not only is it not funny anymore, it may also save the planet from global warming. In science circles, it's known as "dry water" and it seems those circles have kept it to themselves for quite a while, because it was actually discovered back in 1968, then forgotten about.

It was even "rediscovered" in 2006, purely for study purpose, but it's taken a group of scientists at the University of Liverpool in the UK to find a use for it. "There's nothing else quite like it," researcher Ben Carter, said. "Hopefully, we may see 'dry water' making waves in the future." "It" is actually tiny droplets of of water coated in modified silica, better known in nature as sand. They make up 95 per cent of the powdered water and the silica prevents the droplets from combining and creating the liquid version. The result is a substance that resembles fine sugar and one that has the potential to provide a lucrative return for its powerful ability to soak up gases.

That makes it an ideal candidate for research into finding ways to absord and store a greenhouse gas such as carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, the Liverpool team told the National Meeting of the American Chemical Society this week. In laboratory-scale research, the team found that dry water absorbed over three times as much carbon dioxide as ordinary, uncombined water and silica in the same space of time. It could also be used to collect and store gas in commercial quantities that are difficult to mine, such as frozen methane deposits on the ocean floor, they said. Not only that, dry water technology can also apply to other liquids.

The Liverpool University team showed that by transforming a simple emulsion - such as an oil and water mix - into dry water, it could provide a safer way to store and transport potentially harmful industrial materials. So apologies to dads worldwide for that one. The good news is - as far as we can tell - no one's yet to crack that "glass hammer" idea.

The joke has become a reality.

A bizarre substance known as "dry water," which resembles powdered sugar but is 95% 'wet' water could help fight global warming. Scientists claim the powdered water will change the way chemicals are used and that it could even be used to soak up greenhouse gas carbon dioxide. Each powder particle contains a water droplet surrounded by modified silica, which prevents the water droplets from combining and turning back into a liquid. This means it has an amazing ability to slurp up gases, which chemically combine with the water molecules to form what chemists term a hydrate. Speaking of the find, Dr Ben Carter, from the University of Liverpool said: "We may see dry water making waves in the future"... Oh Dr Carter, how long had you been working on that one? Dry water was originally discovered in 1968 but was forgotten about until scientists at the University of Hull, U.K. rediscovered it in 2006 in order to study its structure.

Dry water, also known as "powdered water", is a solidified form of water, where water droplets are surrounded by a sandy silica coating. Dry water actually consists of 95 percent liquid water, but the silica coating prevents the water droplets from combining and turning back into a liquid. The result is a white powder that looks very similar to powdered sugar. Dry water was first created in 1968 and was immediately snatched up by cosmetic companies as it appeared to have potential applications in the cosmetics field. It was "rediscovered" in 2006 by the University of Hull, UK, and has since been evaluated and studied for its potential use in other fields. The dry water itself is easy enough to manufacture. The hydrophobic silica and water are blended together using a motor with a stirring rod and propeller that spins at 19,000 rpm for 90 seconds, which coats the water droplets completely.