The desiccant process involves exposing the desiccant material (such as silica gel, activated alumina, lithium chloride salt, and molecular sieves) to a high relative humidity air stream? allowing it to attract and retain some of the water vapor?and then to a lower relative humidity air stream, which draws the retained moisture from the desiccant. In some applications, desiccants can cut cooling loads and peak demand by as much as 50 percent, with significant cost savings.

In stand-alone operations, a solid (dry) desiccant removes moisture from the air; a heat exchanger and evaporative cooler then chill the air.
A desiccant dehumidifier wheel, composed of lightweight honeycomb or corrugated matrix material, dries the air as the wheel rotates through the supply air before reaching the building. Once the desiccant material reaches its saturation point, heat must be added, or the material must be replaced to regenerate the moistureabsorbing capability. Natural gas, waste heat, or solar energy can be used to dry moisture that is either absorbed or collected on the surface to regenerate the material.

Liquid absorption dehumidifiers spray the air with a desiccant solution that has a lower vapor pressure than that of the entering air stream. The liquid has a vapor pressure lower than water at the same temperature, and the air passing over the solution approaches this reduced vapor pressure. The conditioner can be adjusted so that it delivers air at the desired relative humidity. Liquid desiccant materials include lithium chloride, lithium bromide, calcium, chloride, and triethylene glycol solutions.

Source: http://www.eren.doe.gov/der/pdfs/tech_briefs/desiccant.pdf
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