How does a dehumidifier capture the moisture out of the air?does it use a material or... ?

Question

How does a dehumidifier capture the moisture out of the air?does it use a material or... ?

Answer 1

It uses cold. Just as in an AC, a gas is compressed, generating heat. The heat is allowed to dissipate (in an AC, outdoors). the gas then is allowed to expand, which cools the gas, and the coil of copper pipe it is in.

Moist air is blown pas the cold coil, and water in the air condenses on the coils, collecting in a container.  

Air and water mixture is temperature dependent. The higher the temperature, the more moisture the air can hold. Conversely the lower the temperature, the less it can hold. If the air is cooled enough, it reaches a point, the dew point, where it can no longer hold the moisture and it condenses out.

Answer 2

The most common type of dehumidifier uses a closed compression/expansion gas circuit similar to that of an air conditioner or refrigerator. The "cold" side will make the water in the air form dew on the chilled tubes, thus removing moisture. Then the dried air is warmed back to room temperature by being blown on the hot side of the gas pipes.

Answer 3

Cools the air down past the dew point, where it condenses and then heats it back up again....minus the water of course.