Fresh water production from atmospheric air: Technology and innovation outlook

Peeters, Robin; Vanderschaeghe, Hannah; Rongé, Jan; Martens, Johan A.

doi:10.1016/j.isci.2021.103266

Cited by 21 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 59 publications

(148 reference statements)

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“…desalination). [48] However, this energy penalty can be mitigated with controlled choice of liquid desiccants, [43], [45], [48] while simultaneously introducing nanomaterials-doped hybrid nanofluids with improved thermal, mechanical, and physical properties. [49], [50] Based on the classical and statistical mechanics, a detailed model was previously developed [51], [52] to correlate the specific heat capacity of a nanofluid 𝐶 𝑝,ℎ𝑓 as a function of nanomaterial volume fraction 𝜑 in the liquid desiccant.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Techno-economic analysis of atmospheric water generation by hybrid nanofluids to mitigate global water scarcity

Kode

Stuckenberg

Went

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Globally, multiple efforts are made to develop active atmospheric water generation (AWG) or atmospheric water extraction (AWE) systems, particularly using direct-air cooling technology to produce water from ambient air. However, this legacy technique is highly energy-intensive, it can only be operated when the local dew point is above the freezing point of water, allows bacteria to grow within the system, and does not scale to create enough water to offer solutions for most industries, services, or agriculture. Liquid desiccant-based AWG methods show promising performance advantages and offer a versatile approach to help address the thermodynamic, health risks, and geographic constraints currently encountered by conventional active AWG systems. In this study, we performed a techno-economic analysis of a liquid desiccant-based AWG system with a continuous operating style. An energy balance was performed on a single design point of AWG system configuration while using LiCl liquid desiccant loaded with multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). We showed that the MWCNTs can be doped in LiCl for effective heat transfer during water desorption, resulting in a lowering of the sensible heat load by ≈ 49% on the AWG system. We demonstrated that the specific energy consumption (SEC) can currently be obtained as low as 0.67 kWh/gal while changing the inlet desiccant stream concentration of MWCNTs-doped LiCl at given conditions. While the production cost of water (COW) showed a significant dependency over the region, the economic analysis revealed that the cost of water can be produced at a minimum selling price of $0.085 per gallon based on the 2021 annual average wholesale electricity cost of $0.125 per kWh in the U.S., thereby, providing a strong foundation for future research to meet the desirable and competitive water costs by 2026 but before 2031.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Techno-economic analysis of atmospheric water generation by hybrid nanofluids to mitigate global water scarcity

Kode

Stuckenberg

Went

et al. 2022

Preprint

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“…In [30], yearly averages of relative humidity and environmental temperature were used to give a first estimation of the most suitable technology to extract water all over the world. In the limitations of the study, it is acknowledged that taking into account daily and seasonal variations would provide better results.…”

Section: Water Extraction From Air and The Research Gap Related To Cl...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Energy Performance of Water Generators from Gaseous Mixtures by Condensation: Climatic Datasets Choice

Cattani¹,

Magrini

Leoni

2022

Energies

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Due to the growing issues related to water scarcity and pollution, water extraction from gaseous mixtures, such as atmospheric air, or fumes from combustion, is acquiring increasing importance. Nevertheless, one of the main concerns is the energy consumption that affects the use of any kind of Air(/Gas) to Water Generator (AWG). Referring specifically to water extraction from humid environmental air, AWG behaviour depends upon the air thermo-dynamic conditions and thus upon weather data. To evaluate the water extraction energy efficiency, two interesting tools can be applied: the WET (Water Energy Transformation) indicator, concerning the specific AWG machine behaviour, and the MHI (Moisture Harvesting Index), focused on climate suitability evaluation. Those tools require the knowledge of weather data to be applied. When hourly data for the entire year are available, the application of these tools leads to reliable results. However, in many cases, only average climatic data are available. Today, there are no indications about the reliability of results coming from the use of those less accurate data sets: the research aims to provide a preliminary assessment of the conditions under which average climatic data can be employed without losing meaning. This target was pursued by calculating WET and MHI with three different data sets and five meaningful climate examples. By comparing results, it was possible to provide indications about the most suitable use of average data.

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“…[ 32 ] Moreover, capturing of water vapor in different parts of the world is a challenging task and the relevant technologies are still in embryonic stage. [ 33 ] Therefore, from efficiency standpoint emerged an explosion of innovations in the field of photothermal nanotechnology, producing solar nanoabsorbers of high quality which is shown to overcome said drawbacks. Moreover, these nanoabsorbers pose highly advantageous solar energy conversion rates as well as localized heating abilities which heat the interface of water/air, generating vapor, and subsequently condensed to obtain useable water.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Avant‐Garde Solar–Thermal Nanostructures: Nascent Strategy into Effective Photothermal Desalination

et al. 2022

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Photothermal interfacial evaporation (PTIE) draws the attention of researchers owing to its eco‐friendly approach of obtaining purified potable water from unusable seawater. The salience behind this technology ensures an indispensable commodity highly accessible via implementation of localized heating principles to vaporize seawater at water/air interface, instead of excessive energy consuming bulk‐water evaporating desalination systems. The significance of any technology depends on its component, and photothermal desalination technology lies on its material. In this review, focus on ultramodern nanomembranes, Janus nanoarchitectures, and reticular materials as promising solar–thermal nanostructures is highlighted. This report aims to inspire novel advancements in nanomaterials for photothermal desalination by providing cognizance into the mechanisms of photothermal conversion and principles of capillary action to construct innovative water pathway to continuously pump water with excellent salt‐rejecting feature, thereby enhancing PTIE performance. With desalination as the focus, insights into vapor condensation for the collection of desalinated water are discussed. Furthermore, reports on innovative solar‐driven water purification projects undertaken by different countries to be in action in the near future are incorporated. Eventually, this review sheds light on some practical outlook toward the optimization of judicious nanomaterials for a sustainable tomorrow.

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Fresh water production from atmospheric air: Technology and innovation outlook

Cited by 21 publications

References 59 publications

Techno-economic analysis of atmospheric water generation by hybrid nanofluids to mitigate global water scarcity

Techno-economic analysis of atmospheric water generation by hybrid nanofluids to mitigate global water scarcity

Energy Performance of Water Generators from Gaseous Mixtures by Condensation: Climatic Datasets Choice

Avant‐Garde Solar–Thermal Nanostructures: Nascent Strategy into Effective Photothermal Desalination

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