Water recovery using thermally linked sorbent beds

A method for recovering water from a fluid stream, the method comprising:

• directing a first fluid stream through a first sorbent bed so that water in the first fluid stream is sorbed by a first sorbent within the first sorbent bed;
• passively heating a second sorbent bed positioned adjacent to and thermally linked with the first sorbent bed with heat generated by the sorption of water in the first sorbent bed, the second sorbent bed having a fluid stream inlet, a fluid stream outlet and a bed length equal to a distance between the inlet and the outlet;
• powering a heat pump located between the first sorbent bed and the second sorbent bed to actively heat the second sorbent bed and cool the first sorbent bed;
• directing a second fluid stream through the second sorbent bed so that when the second sorbent bed is heated water is desorbed from a second sorbent located within the second sorbent bed and removed from the second sorbent bed by the second fluid stream;
• and
• maintaining an area of the second sorbent bed extending from the fluid stream outlet to a length between about 10% and about 100% of the bed length at a temperature greater than a temperature of the first sorbent bed at an area adjacent to the area of the second sorbent bed.