Bio-inspired selective filtration of sphagnum for efficient solar driven purification of high salinity seawater
Lifen Su,
Wei Xia,
Zhanpeng Chang,
Jun Fu,
Can Wang,
Lei Miao,
Jianhua Zhou,
Ru Xia,
Jiasheng Qian
Affiliations
Lifen Su
Key Laboratory of Environment-Friendly Polymeric Materials of Anhui Province, School of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, Anhui University, Hefei, Anhui, 230601, China; School of Materials Science and Engineering, Anhui University, Hefei 230601, China
Wei Xia
Key Laboratory of Environment-Friendly Polymeric Materials of Anhui Province, School of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, Anhui University, Hefei, Anhui, 230601, China
Zhanpeng Chang
Key Laboratory of Environment-Friendly Polymeric Materials of Anhui Province, School of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, Anhui University, Hefei, Anhui, 230601, China
Jun Fu
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Anhui University, Hefei 230601, China
Can Wang
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Anhui University, Hefei 230601, China
Lei Miao
Guangxi Key Laboratory for Relativity Astrophysics, State Key Laboratory of Featured Metal Materials and Life-Cycle Safety for Composite Structures, School of Physical Science and Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China; Corresponding authors.
Jianhua Zhou
Guangxi Key Laboratory of Information Materials, Engineering Research Center of Electronic Information Materials and Devices, Ministry of Education, Guilin University of Electronic Technology, Guilin 541004, China
Ru Xia
Key Laboratory of Environment-Friendly Polymeric Materials of Anhui Province, School of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, Anhui University, Hefei, Anhui, 230601, China; Corresponding authors.
Jiasheng Qian
Key Laboratory of Environment-Friendly Polymeric Materials of Anhui Province, School of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, Anhui University, Hefei, Anhui, 230601, China
Solar-driven interfacial evaporation has emerged as an efficient and sustainable way to generate freshwater from seawater to address the crisis of drinkable water. Though rational designs of photothermal materials and structures are essential to the interfacial solar evaporation process, the salt accumulation remains a challenge to the long-term operation of seawater desalination. Here, we report a high-yield and low-cost natural sphagnum as solar steam generator with ultra-fast water transportation, unique microstructure to prevent salting out, and high evaporation rates. The carbonized sphagnum based photothermal evaporator exhibits a strong broad-band light absorption (>97.0 %). During the solar steam generation, a high evaporation rate of 3.53 kg m−2 h−1 was achieved under 1.0 sun illumination. More significantly, the 3D sphagnum evaporator shows excellent selective filtration of salt ions and cycling stability in actual sea water even high salinity solution (10 wt.% NaCl) for 7 days. This work provides an environmentally friendly and cost-effective photothermal material for large-scale seawater desalination, and treatment of waste water with high ions concentration.
