Scientists have discovered a way to make water without the wet, a highly advanced technique that some say could have a big impact in the quest for a way to absorb and store carbon dioxide, the major greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming.

Dubbed “dry water,” this unusual substance is made of 95 percent water surrounded by modified silica (sand), giving it the appearance and texture of granulated sugar. When combined with the silica, water droplets are prevented from combining and turning back into a liquid.

(“Dry water.” Courtesy of the American Chemical Society.)

This chemical manipulation results in a powder that’s able to absorb gases, which then chemically combine with the water molecules to form a hydrate.

“There’s nothing else quite like it,” said Ben Carter, Ph.D., researcher for study leader Professor Andrew Cooper at a meeting of the American Chemical Society. “Hopefully, we may see ‘dry water’ making waves in the future.”

It may seem that dry water is a futuristic concept, but the substance has been around since 1968 when it garnered attention for its potential use in cosmetics. In 2006, scientists at the University of Hull, U.K. “rediscovered” it in order to take a closer look at its structure. Cooper’s group at the University of Liverpool is working to expand its range of potential applications beyond cosmetics.

Some believe that dry water could be a greener, more energy-efficient way of catalyzing chemical reactions used to make hundreds of consumer products. Because it can store large amounts of gas, such as methane, dry water also could provide a safer way to store and transport potentially harmful industrial materials.

But it is the substance’s potential for combating global warming by soaking up and trapping the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide that is of most interest to climate change scientists.

During their laboratory research, Cooper and co-workers found that dry water absorbed over three times as much carbon dioxide as ordinary, uncombined water and silica in the same space of time. This ability to absorb large amounts of carbon dioxide gas as a hydrate could make it useful in helping to reduce global warming.

Harvard Magazine reports that of all the carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere, one quarter is absorbed by land plants, and another quarter by the oceans. Even though plants and bodies of water help keep the planet healthy by absorbing surplus greenhouse gas, they are quickly turning into new trouble spots known as dead zones, and it’s important for humans to be prepared for a day when ocean carbon sinks become saturated.

Further research is required to know if dry water could be applied on a large enough scale to make a dent in the other 50 percent of the greenhouse gases emitted by vehicles, agriculture, and industry, which currently have nowhere to go but up into the atmosphere.
Until then, questions remain about the energy required to produce dry water, and whether its use will have negative impacts on people, wildlife, or the environment. Cooper and his colleagues are currently seeking commercial or academic collaboration to further develop the dry water technology.