Janus Biopolymer Sponge with Porous Structure Based on Water Hyacinth Petiole for Efficient Solar Steam Generation

Abstract

Solar-driven steam generation for desalination is a facile, sustainable, and energy-saving approach to produce clean freshwater. However, the complicated fabrication process, high cost, potential environmental impact, and salt crystallization of conventional evaporators limit their large-scale application. Herein, we present a sustainable Janus evaporator based on a biopolymer sponge from the water hyacinth petiole (WHP) for high-performance solar steam generation. The freeze-dried WHP maintained its original porous structure and aligned channels well, and therefore holds the capability for rapid water transport due to strong capillary action. The WHP coated with carbon nanotubes/ethyl cellulose paste on its surface (WHP-C) gains a good photothermal property, thus achieving an efficient solar steam generation with a rate of 1.50 kg m−2 h−1 under 1 sun irradiation. Moreover, the WHP-C after hydrophobic modification by fluorocarbon (WHP-CH) is endowed with high water repellency and exhibits good salt resistance during long-term solar desalination. Additionally, we demonstrate that a stable wet surface that enables efficient water supply and vapor escape is also significant to the successive desalination of a solar evaporator. Our work provides new insights into the high-value utilization of biomass waste, i.e., water hyacinth, and the development of sustainable interfacial solar evaporators for the environmentally friendly production of freshwater.

A bioinspired hydrogel with tailored nano-topography and desired mechanical performance for highly efficient solar-driven water purification

“…[7][8][9] For an ideal interfacial SSG system, photothermal evaporators usually consider three main factors, including efficient photothermal conversion, excellent heat management, and adequate water transport. [10][11][12][13][14][15][16] Extensive efforts have been devoted to increasing the evaporation rate and photo-to-heat conversion efficiency of SSG systems by employing materials including porous membranes, [17][18][19][20] fabrics, [21][22][23][24] wood scaffolds, 25,26 foam frameworks, [27][28][29] and hydrogel composites. [30][31][32][33] Compared to other reported evaporators, hydrogel-based evaporators present appealing salt resistance and water purication performance, attributed to their intriguing abilities to achieve thermal localization, water activation, and self-oating.…”