Tuesday, 14-07-26
Desalination has long been considered an energy-intensive process because converting seawater into freshwater requires large amounts of energy.
Due to these high energy demands, desalination has mainly been used by countries with strong energy resources and access to fossil fuels.
Researchers in China have now developed a solar-powered desalination technology that could reduce the cost of freshwater production.
The technology uses a new type of photothermal material that converts solar energy into heat to drive seawater evaporation.
An outdoor demonstration prototype showed year-long stability while operating with zero utility energy costs.
The research team estimated that after two years of operation, the cost of producing freshwater with this system could become lower than the cost of commercial bottled water.
New 3D Photothermal Material Improves Seawater Desalination Efficiency
The main innovation is a three-dimensional photothermal evaporation material created by weaving nanoparticles into a new structure.
The researchers developed a material containing tightly linked polymer chains and hollow shell structures.
This design improves sunlight capture and increases the efficiency of converting solar energy into heat for desalination.
Experiments showed that the structure achieved a solar absorption rate of 90.2 per cent.
The material also reduced the energy needed to evaporate the same volume of seawater by 45.7 per cent.
According to the researchers, the structure achieved an evaporation rate 8.5 times higher than previously reported rates for similar solar thermal evaporation technologies.
Scientists wrote in the study published in the journal Advanced Materials: “This structure exhibits 90.2 per cent broadband solar absorption and reduces the energy consumption of evaporation by 45.7 per cent.”
The researchers said the strong evaporation performance was supported by the material’s photothermal conversion and water transport capabilities.
“The excellent photothermal conversion and water transport capacity deliver such outstanding evaporation performance,” said Wang Dan, one of the study’s authors.
Outdoor Tests Show Solar Desalination System Produces Freshwater Without Grid Energy
After developing the material, researchers built an outdoor desalination device to test its performance under natural sunlight.
The system operated without external power grid infrastructure.
The device occupied about 0.75 square metres and produced around 20 litres of freshwater per day.
Researchers said the produced water met World Health Organization drinking water standards.
The system was also tested for durability and reliability during long-term use.
At a small demonstration site, the desalination device was used to produce freshwater that supported the irrigation of a five-square-metre farmland plot during a full crop growth cycle.
Desalinated Water Successfully Supports Crop Growth in Demonstration Field
The researchers tested whether the produced freshwater could support agricultural use.
The desalinated water successfully supported the full growth cycles of several crops, including spinach, corn, and Chinese cabbage.
The five-square-metre demonstration plot showed that the system could provide water for farming using only natural sunlight.
The researchers wrote that the produced water supported crop growth with lower costs.
The trial demonstrated the potential use of the technology for both freshwater production and agricultural irrigation.
Researchers Estimate Lower Costs After Long-Term Operation
The research team estimated that the cost of producing water using the solar-powered desalination system could fall below the price of bottled water after two years of operation.
They said the economic advantage would become even stronger if the system was expanded to a larger scale or operated for a longer period.
The researchers hope the new material can provide a practical solution for freshwater production in regions facing water shortages.
This article is a summary of two original articles. The full versions can be read at the following links:
https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/chinese-breakthrough-could-desalinated-seawater-102136207.html
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This article was created with AI assistance.
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