> <i>One kilogramme of the new material generates enough drinking water to meet a household's daily need, and does not require any external power source</i><p>First the density of an aerogel is very low, so 1kg is like 50 liters (13 gallons). To absorb humidity from the air, it can't be a big cube. If we use a 1cm (1/2 inch) wide sheet, the size must be 5m^2 (54 feet^2). That slightly smaller than the size of a wall of a room, and you need also a good airflow and enough sunlight to provide the power.<p>Also it produces 17 litters (4.5gallons) per day. A typical family use 300 litters (80 gallons) per day. So it's enough water to drink, but not enough water to live.<p>And the 17 litters per day are measured in a humid environment. The details are not very clear, but in most humid environments it rains and you have some system to collect the water or extract it from a nearby river. The problem are the dry environments.