A Biomass-Based Hydrogel Evaporator Modified Through Dynamic Regulation of Water Molecules: Highly Efficient and Cost-Effective

BQ Luo and J Wen and H Wang and SZ Zheng and R Liao and WJ Chen and O Mahian and XK Li, ENERGY & ENVIRONMENTAL MATERIALS, 6 (2023).

DOI: 10.1002/eem2.12353

Solar-driven hydrogel evaporator used for water purification demonstrates great potential in seawater desalination and domestic sewage treatment. However, much uncertainty still exists about the most efficient design to obtain cost-effective drinkable water. In this paper, a natural rich biomass Nicandra physalodes (Linn.) Gaertn. polysaccharide was introduced into the polyvinyl alcohol network to control the water distribution during evaporation and build a low-cost hybrid hydrogel solar evaporator with a total material cost of $7.95 m(-2). The mixed evaporator works stably in a long-span acid-base range (pH 1-14) and salinity range (0-320 g kg(-1)). Its daily water purification capacity can reach 24.4 kg m(-2) with a water purification capacity of 3.51 kg m(-2) h(-1) under sunlight. This paper provides a new possibility for a highly efficient and cost-effective water desalination system with guaranteed water quality by focusing on the dynamic regulation of water molecules at the evaporation interface.

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