Dehumidifying air handling unit and desiccant wheel therefor

A dehumidifying air handling unit for a heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration system, comprising:

• a housing including an air inlet and an air discharge outlet, a main airflow path extending through the housing from the air inlet to the air discharge outlet;
• a desiccant wheel including a first end disposed in the main airflow path, a second end disposed in the main airflow path downstream of the first end, and a metal organic framework (“MOF”) desiccant, the desiccant wheel rotatable to move the MOF desiccant between the first end and the second end of the desiccant wheel, wherein the MOF desiccant positioned at the second end is configured to adsorb water from air in the main airflow path flowing through the second end, and the MOF desiccant positioned at the first end is configured to substantially desorb the water into the air in the main airflow path having a temperature of 40° C. or less flowing along the first end;
• and
• a cooling heat exchanger disposed in the main flow path downstream of the first end of the desiccant wheel and upstream of the second end of the desiccant wheel.