Improving Wastewater Treatment by Triboelectric-Photo/Electric Coupling Effect

Abstract

The ability to meet higher effluent quality requirements and the reduction of energy consumption are the biggest challenges in wastewater treatment worldwide. A large proportion of the energy generated during wastewater treatment processes is neglected and lost in traditional wastewater treatment plants. As a type of energy harvesting system, triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) can extensively harvest the microscale energies generated from wastewater treatment procedures and auxiliary devices. This harvested energy can be utilized to improve the removal efficiency of pollutants through photo/electric catalysis, which has considerable potential application value in wastewater treatment plants. This paper gives an overall review of the generated potential energies (e.g., water wave energy, wind energy, and acoustic energy) that can be harvested at various stages of the wastewater treatment process and introduces the application of TENG devices for the collection of these neglected energies during wastewater treatment. Furthermore, the mechanisms and catalytic performances of TENGs coupled with photo/electric catalysis (e.g., electrocatalysis, photoelectric catalysis) are discussed to realize higher pollutant removal efficiencies and lower energy consumption. Then, a thorough, detailed investigation of TENG devices, electrode materials, and their coupled applications is summarized. Finally, the intimate coupling of self-powered photoelectric catalysis and biodegradation is proposed to further improve removal efficiencies in wastewater treatment. This concept is conducive to improving knowledge about the underlying mechanisms and extending applications of TENGs in wastewater treatment to better solve the problems of energy demand in the future.

Manufacturing Technics for Fabric/Fiber-Based Triboelectric Nanogenerators: From Yarns to Micro-Nanofibers

“…Overall, despite the fact that the state-of-the-art fabric/fiber structured TENG has a few flaws, it considerably advances the development of wearable self-powered sensors and makes it feasible to create green flexible wearable power sources. Furthermore, fabric/fiber structured TENGs are also expected to applied in other fields, such as food detection, wastewater treatment and electro-catalysis [ 78 , 79 , 80 , 81 ]. It is hoped that fabric/fiber structured TENGs would continue to provide scientists with fresh insights and provide further research results.…”

Review of Ice Slurry Pigging Techniques for the Water Supply Industry: Engineering Design and Application

“…Even at low velocity, high shear stress is still present, which is helpful to improve cleaning efficiency. The attractive feature can be attributed to the high slip pressure difference and Bingham characteristics of the thick slurry. , Similarly, Quarini et al also reported that ice slurries demonstrated the ability to remove sand at the bottom of various tubes at relatively low velocity . Moreover, a series of initial in-ground experiments were undertaken to prove that ice pigging is beneficial in cleaning in service mains.…”

Spheres Multiple Physical Network‐Based Triboelectric Materials for Self‐Powered Contactless Sensing

“…Meanwhile, the surface charge density and charge capture capacity mainly determine the output performance of triboelectric materials, [ 7–11 ] and selecting appropriate triboelectric materials is the most effective way to fundamentally improve the output performance, [ 12–17 ] so it is extremely urgent to develop triboelectric materials with high charge density. [ 18–21 ]…”

“…Meanwhile, the surface charge density and charge capture capacity mainly determine the output performance of triboelectric materials, [7][8][9][10][11] and selecting appropriate triboelectric materials is the most effective way to fundamentally improve the output performance, [12][13][14][15][16][17] so it is extremely urgent to develop triboelectric materials with high charge density. [18][19][20][21] Recently, MXene (Ti 3 C 2 T x ) has been widely used in triboelectric materials and TENG applications due to its high electronegativity, good conductivity, and high charge capture ability, which greatly improves the output performance of TENG. [22] Additionally, spherical network structure is considered as a promising structure with high specific surface area and good chemical stability.…”