Issue 10, 2021

Sustainable off-grid desalination of hypersaline waters using Janus wood evaporators

Abstract

Solar-thermal evaporation is a promising technology for energy-efficient desalination, but salt accumulation on solar absorbers and system longevity are the major challenges that hinder its widespread application. In this study, we present a sustainable Janus wood evaporator that overcomes these challenges and achieves a record-high evaporation efficiencies in hypersaline water, one of the most difficult water sources to treat via desalination. The Janus wood evaporator has asymmetric surface wettability, where the top layer acts as a hydrophobic solar absorber with water blockage and salt resistance, while the bottom hydrophilic wood layer allows for rapid water replenishment and superior thermal insulation. An evaporation efficiency of 82.0% is achieved for 20% NaCl solution under 1 sun, and persistent salt-resistance is observed during a 10-cycle long-term test. To ensure the environmental impact of the Janus wood evaporator, for the first time, a life cycle assessment (LCA) is conducted to compare this Janus wood evaporator with the emerging Janus evaporators, indicating a functional and more sustainable opportunity for off-grid desalination and humanitarian efforts.

Graphical abstract: Sustainable off-grid desalination of hypersaline waters using Janus wood evaporators

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
18 Мам. 2021
Accepted
20 Шіл. 2021
First published
20 Шіл. 2021

Energy Environ. Sci., 2021,14, 5347-5357

Author version available

Sustainable off-grid desalination of hypersaline waters using Janus wood evaporators

X. Chen, S. He, M. M. Falinski, Y. Wang, T. Li, S. Zheng, D. Sun, J. Dai, Y. Bian, X. Zhu, J. Jiang, L. Hu and Z. J. Ren, Energy Environ. Sci., 2021, 14, 5347 DOI: 10.1039/D1EE01505B

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements