An Expanded Perlite‐Based Aerogel with Oil‐Repellent Properties for Efficient Solar Evaporation in Oil‐bearing Wastewater

Abstract

Solar steam generation (SSG) has become a cutting-edge technology to solve fresh water shortage. Herein, a neotype photothermal conversion material (CAEP-PFO) was designed and prepared by using expanded perlite as raw material and sodium alginate as crosslinking agent, through directional freezing, surface carbonization and oil-phobic modification. Through characterization analysis, the results showed that the prepared CAEP-PFO has a porosity of 92 %, a light absorption of more than 88 %, and a low thermal conductivity of 0.06834 W m À 1 K À 1 . In addition, CAEP-PFO exhibits excellent salt resistance and oil repellency, and possess an evaporation efficiency of 78.6 % in 10 % brine and 80.2 % in oil-bearing wastewater under the irradiation of 1 kW m À 2 , respectively. After 8 cycles of test, the evaporation efficiency in pure water is relatively stable, and the average evaporation efficiency can reach 84.28 %. The research may lay a foundation for the future preparation of photothermal materials and the practical application in seawater and oil-bearing wastewater.

A Ferric Tannate and Sodium Carboxymethyl Cellulose Composite Aerogel for Efficient Solar Steam Generation

“…Figure S13 is the evaporation collection device. As illustrated in Figure 7a, the concentration of Na + , Mg 2+ , K + , and Ca 2+ ions in the seawater significantly decreases after desalination and is far below the requirements set by the World Health Organization (WHO) standards for safe drinking water [32] . This indicates that the CFT‐CMC aerogel can be used for seawater desalination.…”