Water scarcity is a global challenge,and solar evaporation technology offers a promising and eco-friendly solution for freshwater production.Photothermal conversion materials(PCMs)are crucial for solar evaporation.Imp...Water scarcity is a global challenge,and solar evaporation technology offers a promising and eco-friendly solution for freshwater production.Photothermal conversion materials(PCMs)are crucial for solar evaporation.Improving photothermal conversion efficiency and reducing water evaporation enthalpy are the two key strategies for the designing of PCMs.The desired PCMs that combine both of these properties remain a challenging task,even with the latest advancements in the field.Herein,we developed copper nanoparticles(NPs)with different conjugated nitrogen-doped microporous carbon coatings(Cu@C–N)as PCMs.The microporous carbon enveloping layer provides a highly efficient pathway for water transport and a nanoconfined environment that protects Cu NPs and facilitates the evaporation of water clusters,reducing the enthalpy of water evaporation.Meanwhile,the conjugated nitrogen nodes form strong metal-organic coordination bonds with the surface of copper NPs,acting as an energy bridge to achieve rapid energy transfer and provide high solar-to-vapor conversion efficiency.The Cu@C–N exhibited up to 89.4%solar-to-vapor conversion efficiency and an evaporation rate of 1.94 kgm^(−2) h^(−1) under one sun irradiation,outperforming conventional PCMs,including carbon-based materials and semiconductor materials.These findings offer an efficient design scheme for high-performance PCMs essential for solar evaporators to address global water scarcity.展开更多
Desalination is emerging as a promising alternative among various technologies to resolve water shortage. However, desalination requires a sufficient energy and cooling device and therefore poses limitations for its i...Desalination is emerging as a promising alternative among various technologies to resolve water shortage. However, desalination requires a sufficient energy and cooling device and therefore poses limitations for its installation and application. In particular, many countries suffering water deficits are economically underdeveloped and cannot afford the technology. As this technology, which changes seawater into freshwater, has little environmental impact, developed countries will need to assist less developed countries to introduce this technology as a humanitarian effort. This will help reduce the number of countries that have experienced difficulty with development.展开更多
This article examines the influence of seawater temperature and total dissolved solids (TDS) on reverse osmosis (RO) desalination in the Arabian Gulf region, with a focus on the impact of climate change. The study hig...This article examines the influence of seawater temperature and total dissolved solids (TDS) on reverse osmosis (RO) desalination in the Arabian Gulf region, with a focus on the impact of climate change. The study highlights the changes in seawater temperature and TDS levels over the years and discusses their effects on the efficiency and productivity of RO desalination plants. It emphasizes the importance of monitoring TDS levels and controlling seawater temperature to optimize water production. The article also suggests various solutions, including intensive pre-treatment, development of high-performance membranes, exploration of alternative water sources, and regulation of discharges into the Gulf, to ensure sustainable water supply in the face of rising TDS levels and seawater temperature. Further research and comprehensive monitoring are recommended to understand the implications of these findings and develop effective strategies for the management of marine resources in the Arabian Gulf.展开更多
This study presents a significant contribution to the field of water quality assessment and sustainable water management practices. By evaluating the levels of total dissolved solids (TDS) in seawater intakes within A...This study presents a significant contribution to the field of water quality assessment and sustainable water management practices. By evaluating the levels of total dissolved solids (TDS) in seawater intakes within Al-Khobar desalination production system, the study addresses a crucial aspect of water treatment and environmental impact assessment. The findings provide valuable insights into the variations and trends of TDS levels across different phases of the system, highlighting the importance of monitoring and management strategies. The study provided both gravimetric total dissolved solids (TDS) and electrical conductivity (EC) measurements to analyze TDS calculation factor and evaluate measurement accuracy. Results revealed significant variations in TDS levels across the sampling locations, with phase-2 exhibiting higher levels and greater fluctuations. Phase-3 displayed similar trends but with lower TDS levels, while phase-4 showed slightly different behavior with higher average TDS levels. EC measurements demonstrated a strong correlation with TDS, providing a reliable estimation. However, additional methods such as gravimetric analysis should be employed to confirm TDS measurements. The findings contribute to understanding water quality in the Al-Khobar desalination system, aiding in monitoring, management, and decision-making processes for water treatment and environmental impact assessment. The study enhances the credibility of water quality assessments and supports sustainable water management practices.展开更多
The interdependency among water, food, and energy (WEF) in the GCC countries is strongly and closely interlinked, and is intensifying as demand for resources increases with population growth and changing consumption p...The interdependency among water, food, and energy (WEF) in the GCC countries is strongly and closely interlinked, and is intensifying as demand for resources increases with population growth and changing consumption patterns, and are expected to be further compounded by the impacts of climate change. Therefore, integrated management of the three sectors is crucial to reduce trade-offs and build synergies among them. This paper presents a comprehensive framework to assess the WEF nexus in Kuwait as a representative case for the GCC countries. The framework consists of three main steps: 1) evaluating the influence of socio-economic development and climate change on water, energy, and food resources;2) generating scenario-based projections;and 3) conducting an extensive quantitative nexus analysis. The WEF interlinkages in Kuwait are modelled quantitatively using the Q-Nexus model, and current critical interdependencies are evaluated. Then, various WEF-Nexus scenarios were conducted for the year 2035 to explore the effects of management interventions in one sector on the other two sectors. The main findings are that per capita municipal water consumption is a major influencer on the WEF-nexus due to the heavy reliance on thermal desalination in municipal water supply in Kuwait, which is attributed to its energy intensity, financial cost, GHGs emissions, and environmental impacts on the marine and air environments. To reduce WEF trade-offs, mitigate risks, and build synergies among the three sectors, it is important to shift the current policy focus on supply-side management approach to the demand-side management and efficiency approaches.展开更多
The study investigates the hydrogeochemical characteristics of some towns in the Abakaliki Basin, comprising, Ishiagu, Aka Eze, Amaseri, Afikpo and Okposi communities, with the aim of sourcing for portable water in th...The study investigates the hydrogeochemical characteristics of some towns in the Abakaliki Basin, comprising, Ishiagu, Aka Eze, Amaseri, Afikpo and Okposi communities, with the aim of sourcing for portable water in the area. The basin is underlain by Albian sediments, essentially shales, in the lowlands, which were affected by low-grade metamorphism that had produced slates. The highlands comprise basic intrusives from episodes of magmatism and metallic ore mineralisation. Injection of brines into the aquifer system and low, seasonal aquifer recharge from rainfall results in poor water quality in the area. The study analyzes the geochemical distribution in water sources in the area and identifies sources of pollutants to guide the better choice of portable water. Results of hydrogeochemical analysis of both surface and groundwater from the communities were compared with World Health Organization to identify portable water locations in the area. While the salt lake at Okposi is the main source of brine intrusion in the study area, the Pb/Zn mine at Ishiagu is the main source of mine-water pollution in the study area. Most chemical parameters, (especially Cl<sup>-</sup>, Na<sup>+</sup>, Ca<sup>2+</sup>, Mg<sup>2+</sup>, SO<sub>4</sub><sup>2-</sup>, HCO<sub>3</sub><sup>-</sup>) maintain high concentrations within the salt lake area, with the values declining away from the salt lake. The main anthropogenic source of pollution in the area, especially at Ishiagu, is the indiscriminate surface mining of lead-zinc without proposer waste management practices. Possible sourcing for portable water in the study area includes a deep borehole at Ishiagu, away from lead-zinc intrusives. At the Okposi axis, searching for portable water in boreholes should target shallower aquifers that do not communicate with the deeper-seated brine zones, likewise targeting zones farther away from these brine-invaded areas. A controlled pumping rate could potentially ensure that the cone of depression was not low enough to reach the brine zone at depth. In addition, desalination could also potentially render the salt water drinkable if properly handled to eliminate the high concentration of salts in the water to the level of acceptable limit by the WHO. Based on the study, the best area to target for portable water in the study area is Afikpo, with most geochemical elements naturally occurring within WHO’s standard concentration while portable water could be harnessed in areas further away from mining sites, especially at deep groundwater.展开更多
The“battery type”inorganic electrode has been demonstrated the highly efficient sodium ion intercalation capacity for capacitive deionization.In this work,the CoMn_(2)O_(4)(CMO)microspheres with porous core-shell st...The“battery type”inorganic electrode has been demonstrated the highly efficient sodium ion intercalation capacity for capacitive deionization.In this work,the CoMn_(2)O_(4)(CMO)microspheres with porous core-shell structure are prepared via co-precipitation and followed by annealing.The effects of annealing temperatures on the morphology,pore structure,valence state,and electrochemical behavior of CMO are explored.As electrode for capacitive deionization,the salt removal capacity and current efficiency of optimized AC||CMO device reaches up to 60.7 mg g^(−1) and 97.6%,respectively,and the capacity retention rate is 74.1%after 50 cycles.Remarkably,both the in-situ X-ray diffraction and ex-situ X-ray diffraction analysis features that the intercalation/de-intercalation of sodium ions are governed by(103)and(221)crystal planes of CMO.Accordingly,the density functional theory calculations realize that the adsorption energies of Na+onto(103)and(221)crystal planes are higher than that of any other crystal planes,manifesting the priorities in adsorption of sodium atoms.Furthermore,the X-ray photoelectron spectra of pristine and post-CMO electrode highlights that the reversible conversion of Mn^(3+)/Mn^(4+)couple is resulted from the intercalation/de-intercalation of Na^(+),while this is irreversible for Co^(3+)/Co^(2+)couple.Beyond that,the CMO electrode has been proven the selectivity removal of Na^(+) over K^(+)and Mg^(2+)in a multi-cation stream.展开更多
The seawater desalination based on solardriven interfacial evaporation has emerged as a promising technique to alleviate the global crisis on freshwater shortage.However,achieving high desalination performance on actu...The seawater desalination based on solardriven interfacial evaporation has emerged as a promising technique to alleviate the global crisis on freshwater shortage.However,achieving high desalination performance on actual,oil-contaminated seawater remains a critical challenge,because the transport channels and evaporation interfaces of the current solar evaporators are easily blocked by the oil slicks,resulting in undermined evaporation rate and conversion efficiency.Herein,we propose a facile strategy for fabricating a modularized solar evaporator based on flexible MXene aerogels with arbitrarily tunable,highly ordered cellular/lamellar pore structures for high-efficiency oil interception and desalination.The core design is the creation of 1D fibrous MXenes with sufficiently large aspect ratios,whose superior flexibility and plentiful link forms lay the basis for controllable 3D assembly into more complicated pore structures.The cellular pore structure is responsible for effective contaminants rejection due to the multi-sieving effect achieved by the omnipresent,isotropic wall apertures together with underwater superhydrophobicity,while the lamellar pore structure is favorable for rapid evaporation due to the presence of continuous,large-area evaporation channels.The modularized solar evaporator delivers the best evaporation rate(1.48 kg m-2h-1)and conversion efficiency(92.08%)among all MXene-based desalination materials on oil-contaminated seawater.展开更多
Interfacial solar evaporation holds great promise to address the freshwater shortage.However,most interfacial solar evaporators are always filled with water throughout the evaporation process,thus bringing unavoidable...Interfacial solar evaporation holds great promise to address the freshwater shortage.However,most interfacial solar evaporators are always filled with water throughout the evaporation process,thus bringing unavoidable heat loss.Herein,we propose a novel interfacial evaporation structure based on the micro–nano water film,which demonstrates significantly improved evaporation performance,as experimentally verified by polypyrrole-and polydopamine-coated polydimethylsiloxane sponge.The 2D evaporator based on the as-prepared sponge realizes an enhanced evaporation rate of 2.18 kg m^(−2)h^(−1)under 1 sun by fine-tuning the interfacial micro–nano water film.Then,a homemade device with an enhanced condensation function is engineered for outdoor clean water production.Throughout a continuous test for 40 days,this device demonstrates a high water production rate(WPR)of 15.9–19.4 kg kW^(−1)h^(−1)m^(−2).Based on the outdoor outcomes,we further establish a multi-objective model to assess the global WPR.It is predicted that a 1 m^(2)device can produce at most 7.8 kg of clean water per day,which could meet the daily drinking water needs of 3 people.Finally,this technology could greatly alleviate the current water and energy crisis through further large-scale applications.展开更多
In order to satisfy the growing global demand for lithium, selective extraction of lithium from brine has attracted extensive attention. LiMn_(2)O_(4)-based electrochemical lithium recovery system is one of the best c...In order to satisfy the growing global demand for lithium, selective extraction of lithium from brine has attracted extensive attention. LiMn_(2)O_(4)-based electrochemical lithium recovery system is one of the best choices for commercial applications because of its high selectivity and low energy consumption.However, the low ion diffusion coefficient of lithium manganate limits the further development of electrochemical lithium recovery system. In this work, a novel porous disc-like LiMn_(2)O_(4) was successfully synthesized for the first time via two-step annealing manganese(Ⅱ) precursors. The as-prepared LiMn_(2)O_(4) exhibits porous disc-like morphology, excellent crystallinity, high Li^(+)diffusion coefficient(average 7.6×10^(-9)cm^(2)·s^(-1)), high cycle stability(after 30 uninterrupted extraction and release cycles, the crystal structure hardly changed) and superior rate capacity(93.5% retention from 10-120 mA·g^(-1)). The porous structure and disc-like morphology further promote the contact between lithium ions and electrode materials. Therefore, the assembled electrochemical lithium extraction device with LiMn_(2)O_(4) as positive electrode and silver as negative electrode can realize the rapid and selective extraction of lithium in simulated brine(adsorption capacity of lithium can reach 4.85 mg·g^(-1) in 1 h). The mechanism of disc-like LiMn_(2)O_(4) in electrochemical lithium extraction was proposed based on the analysis of electrochemical characterization and quasi in situ XRD. This novel structure may further promote the practical application of electrochemical lithium extraction from brine.展开更多
Pervaporation desalination by highly hydrophilic materials such as poly(vinyl alcohol)(PVA)based separation membrane is a burgeoning technology of late years.However,the improvement of membrane flux in pervaporation d...Pervaporation desalination by highly hydrophilic materials such as poly(vinyl alcohol)(PVA)based separation membrane is a burgeoning technology of late years.However,the improvement of membrane flux in pervaporation desalination has been a difficult task.Here,a novel hybrid membrane with doped graphene oxide quantum dots(GOQDs)which is rich in hydrophilic groups and small size into the matrix of PVA was prepared to improve the membrane flux.The membranes structures were described by field emission scanning electron microscopy(FESEM),atomic force microscopy(AFM),Fourier transform infrared(FT-IR),differential scanning calorimetry(DSC),thermogravimetric analysis(TGA)and X-ray diffraction(XRD).And more,Water contact angle,swelling degree,and pervaporation properties were carried out to explore the effect of GOQDs in PVA matrix.In addition,GOQDs content in the hybrid membrane,NaCl concentration,and feed temperature were investigated accordingly.Moreover,the hydrogen bonds between PVA chains were weakened by the interaction between GOQDs and PVA chains.Significantly,the hybrid membrane with optimized doped GOQDs content,200 mg·L^(-1),displays a high membrane flux of 17.09 kg·m^(-2)·h^(-1)and the salt rejection is consistently greater than 99.6%.展开更多
Solar steam generation(SSG)is a potential technology for freshwater production,which is expected to address the global water shortage problem.Some noble metals with good photothermal conversion performance have receiv...Solar steam generation(SSG)is a potential technology for freshwater production,which is expected to address the global water shortage problem.Some noble metals with good photothermal conversion performance have received wide concerns in SSG,while high cost limits their practical applications for water purification.Herein,a self-supporting nanoporous copper(NP-Cu)film was fabricated by one-step dealloying of a specially designed Al_(98)Cu_(2)precursor with a dilute solid solution structure.In-situ and ex-situ characterizations were performed to reveal the phase and microstructure evolutions during dealloying.The NP-Cu film shows a unique three-dimensional bicontinuous ligament-channel structure with high porosity(94.8%),multi scale-channels and nanoscale ligaments(24.2±4.4nm),leading to its strong broadband absorption over the 200–2500 nm wavelength More importantly,the NP-Cu film exhibits excellent SSG performance with high evaporation rate,superior efficiency and good stability.The strong desalination ability of NP-Cu also manifests its potential applications in seawater desalination.The related mechanism has been rationalized based upon the nanoporous network,localized surface plasmon resonance effect and hydrophilicity.展开更多
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...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.展开更多
Biomass-derived carbon has demonstrated great potentials as advanced electrode for capacitive deionization(CDI),owing to good electroconductivity,easy availability,intrinsic pores/channels.However,conventional simple ...Biomass-derived carbon has demonstrated great potentials as advanced electrode for capacitive deionization(CDI),owing to good electroconductivity,easy availability,intrinsic pores/channels.However,conventional simple pyrolysis of biomass always generates inadequate porosity with limited surface area.Moreover,biomass-derived carbon also suffers from poor wettability and single physical adsorption of ions,resulting in limited desalination performance.Herein,pore structure optimization and element co-doping are integrated on banana peels(BP)-derived carbon to construct hierarchically porous and B,N co-doped carbon with large ions-accessible surface area.A unique expansionactivation(EA)strategy is proposed to modulate the porosity and specific surface area of carbon.Furthermore,B,N co-doping could increase the ions-accessible sites with improved hydrophilicity,and promote ions adsorption.Benefitting from the synergistic effect of hierarchical porosity and B,N co-doping,the resultant electrode manifest enhanced CDI performance for NaCl with large desalination capacity(29.5 mg g^(-1)),high salt adsorption rate(6.2 mg g^(-1)min^(-1)),and versatile adsorption ability for other salts.Density functional theory reveals the enhanced deionization mechanism by pore and B,N co-doping.This work proposes a facile EA strategy for pore structure modulation of biomass-derived carbon,and demonstrates great potentials of integrating pore and heteroatoms-doping on constructing high-performance CDI electrode.展开更多
Tailoring water supply to achieve confined heating has proven to be an effective strategy for boosting solar interfacial evaporation rates.However,because of salt clogging during desalination,a critical point of const...Tailoring water supply to achieve confined heating has proven to be an effective strategy for boosting solar interfacial evaporation rates.However,because of salt clogging during desalination,a critical point of constriction occurs when controlling the water rate for confined heating.In this study,we demonstrate a facile and scalable weaving technique for fabricating core-sheath photothermal yarns that facilitate controlled water supply for stable and efficient interracial solar desalination.The core-sheath yarn comprises modal fibers as the core and carbon fibers as the sheaths.Because of the core-sheath design,remarkable liquid pumping can be enabled in the carbon fiber bundle of the dispersed superhydrophilic modal fibers.Our woven fabrics absorb a high proportion(92%)of the electromagnetic radiation in the solar spectrum because of the weaving structure and the carbon fiber sheath.Under one-sun(1 kW·m^(-2))illumination,our woven fabric device can achieve the highest evaporation rate(of 2.12kg·m^(-2)·h^(-1) with energy conversion efficiency:93.7%)by regulating the number of core-sheath yarns.Practical application tests demonstrate that our device can maintain high and stable desalination performance in a 5 wt%NaCl solution.展开更多
The present work focused on the environmentally friendly deep desalination of crude oil using ethylene glycol as the extraction solvent and quartz sand as the demulsifier.The effect of droplet size distribution in the...The present work focused on the environmentally friendly deep desalination of crude oil using ethylene glycol as the extraction solvent and quartz sand as the demulsifier.The effect of droplet size distribution in the emulsion on the dehydration results and desalination efficiency was investigated.Experimental results showed that the desalination efficiencies of Sarir and Basra crude oils were 93.3%and 90.0%,respectively.Furthermore,the desalination efficiency of Basra crude oil using ethylene glycol could be enhanced up to 96.7%by adding 30 g/L quartz sand with a particle size of 15μm.Finally,94%of the ethylene glycol and 86%of the quartz sand could be recovered from the emulsion.This process offers an alternative method to the deep desalination of crude oil.展开更多
Harvesting solar energy in an effective manner for steam and electricity generation is a promising technique to simultaneously cope with the energy and water crises.However,the construction of efficient and easy scale...Harvesting solar energy in an effective manner for steam and electricity generation is a promising technique to simultaneously cope with the energy and water crises.However,the construction of efficient and easy scale-up photothermal materials for steam and electricity cogeneration remains challenging.Herein,we report a facile and cost-effective strategy to prepare MnO_(2)-decorated cotton cloth(MCx).The wide adsorption spectrum and excellent photothermal conversion ability of the in situ-formed MnO_(2)nanoparticles make the MCx to be advanced photothermal materials.Consequently,the hybrid device integrated with MCx as the photothermal layer and the thermoelectric(TE)module for electricity power conversion exhibits an extremely high evaporation rate of 2.24 kg m^(−2)h^(−1)under 1 kW m^(−2)irradiation,which is ranked among the most powerful solar evaporators.More importantly,during solar evaporation,the hybrid device produces an open-circuit voltage of 0.3 V and a power output of 1.6 W m^(−2)under 3 Sun irradiation,and outperforms most of the previously reported solar-driven electricity generation devices.Therefore,the integrated device with synergistic solar-thermal utilization opens up a green way toward simultaneous solar vapor and electric power generation in remote and resource-constrained areas.展开更多
This experimental study aimed to investigate the impact of water depth, inlet water temperature,and fins on the productivity of a pyramid solar still in producing distilled water. The experiment was conducted in three...This experimental study aimed to investigate the impact of water depth, inlet water temperature,and fins on the productivity of a pyramid solar still in producing distilled water. The experiment was conducted in three parts, where the first part explored the variation in water depth from 1 cm to 5 cm, the second part evaluated the effect of increasing inlet water temperature from 30℃ to 50℃, and the third part added fins at the bottom of the still at a specific inlet water depth. Results showed that basin depth had a significant impact on the still's production, with a maximum variation of 40.6% observed when the water level was changed from 1 cm to 5 cm. The daily freshwater production from the pyramid solar still ranged from 3.41 kg/m~2 for a water depth of 1 cm to 2.02 kg/m~2 for a depth of 5 cm. Adding fins at the bottom of the pyramid solar still led to a 7.5% increase in productivity, while adjusting the inlet water temperature from 30℃ to 40℃ and 50℃ resulted in a 15.3% and 21.2% increase, respectively. These findings highlighted the essential factors that can influence the productivity of pyramid solar stills and can be valuable in designing and operating efficient water desalination and purification technologies.展开更多
Getting consumable water to individuals has been a continuous challenge worldwide.Contaminated or non⁃purified water sources are responsible for the bulk of human illnesses.The demand for water purification that does ...Getting consumable water to individuals has been a continuous challenge worldwide.Contaminated or non⁃purified water sources are responsible for the bulk of human illnesses.The demand for water purification that does not harm the biological system is urgent.Sun⁃based desalination is one of the effective water purification methods creating ultra⁃pure refined water.Sun⁃based still refining frameworks offer maintainable devices for a freshwater generation.Diverse plans were tried by analysts to move forward the efficiency of sun⁃powered still.According to the experiments,solar still coordinates outside or inside the condenser is considered to be a valid and successful plan.This survey hopes to show,explain,and study the performance of several solar stills combined with diverse condenser designs.展开更多
This paper proposed a new technology way for seawater desalination which used renewable energy(wind energy and solar energy).The effects of practical application showed that remote islands and cage culture zones in th...This paper proposed a new technology way for seawater desalination which used renewable energy(wind energy and solar energy).The effects of practical application showed that remote islands and cage culture zones in the bay that lack electricity and water are very suitable for using small seawater desalination devices that do not require consumption of conventional energy.展开更多
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.52162012,52262014,22368019)Key Research and Development Project of Hainan Province(Grant Nos.ZDYF2022SHFZ053,ZDYF2021GXJS209)+1 种基金Science and Technology Innovation Talent Platform Fund for South China Sea New Star of Hainan Province(Grant No.NHXXRCXM202305)Open Research Project of State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea(Grant No.MRUKF2023020).
文摘Water scarcity is a global challenge,and solar evaporation technology offers a promising and eco-friendly solution for freshwater production.Photothermal conversion materials(PCMs)are crucial for solar evaporation.Improving photothermal conversion efficiency and reducing water evaporation enthalpy are the two key strategies for the designing of PCMs.The desired PCMs that combine both of these properties remain a challenging task,even with the latest advancements in the field.Herein,we developed copper nanoparticles(NPs)with different conjugated nitrogen-doped microporous carbon coatings(Cu@C–N)as PCMs.The microporous carbon enveloping layer provides a highly efficient pathway for water transport and a nanoconfined environment that protects Cu NPs and facilitates the evaporation of water clusters,reducing the enthalpy of water evaporation.Meanwhile,the conjugated nitrogen nodes form strong metal-organic coordination bonds with the surface of copper NPs,acting as an energy bridge to achieve rapid energy transfer and provide high solar-to-vapor conversion efficiency.The Cu@C–N exhibited up to 89.4%solar-to-vapor conversion efficiency and an evaporation rate of 1.94 kgm^(−2) h^(−1) under one sun irradiation,outperforming conventional PCMs,including carbon-based materials and semiconductor materials.These findings offer an efficient design scheme for high-performance PCMs essential for solar evaporators to address global water scarcity.
文摘Desalination is emerging as a promising alternative among various technologies to resolve water shortage. However, desalination requires a sufficient energy and cooling device and therefore poses limitations for its installation and application. In particular, many countries suffering water deficits are economically underdeveloped and cannot afford the technology. As this technology, which changes seawater into freshwater, has little environmental impact, developed countries will need to assist less developed countries to introduce this technology as a humanitarian effort. This will help reduce the number of countries that have experienced difficulty with development.
文摘This article examines the influence of seawater temperature and total dissolved solids (TDS) on reverse osmosis (RO) desalination in the Arabian Gulf region, with a focus on the impact of climate change. The study highlights the changes in seawater temperature and TDS levels over the years and discusses their effects on the efficiency and productivity of RO desalination plants. It emphasizes the importance of monitoring TDS levels and controlling seawater temperature to optimize water production. The article also suggests various solutions, including intensive pre-treatment, development of high-performance membranes, exploration of alternative water sources, and regulation of discharges into the Gulf, to ensure sustainable water supply in the face of rising TDS levels and seawater temperature. Further research and comprehensive monitoring are recommended to understand the implications of these findings and develop effective strategies for the management of marine resources in the Arabian Gulf.
文摘This study presents a significant contribution to the field of water quality assessment and sustainable water management practices. By evaluating the levels of total dissolved solids (TDS) in seawater intakes within Al-Khobar desalination production system, the study addresses a crucial aspect of water treatment and environmental impact assessment. The findings provide valuable insights into the variations and trends of TDS levels across different phases of the system, highlighting the importance of monitoring and management strategies. The study provided both gravimetric total dissolved solids (TDS) and electrical conductivity (EC) measurements to analyze TDS calculation factor and evaluate measurement accuracy. Results revealed significant variations in TDS levels across the sampling locations, with phase-2 exhibiting higher levels and greater fluctuations. Phase-3 displayed similar trends but with lower TDS levels, while phase-4 showed slightly different behavior with higher average TDS levels. EC measurements demonstrated a strong correlation with TDS, providing a reliable estimation. However, additional methods such as gravimetric analysis should be employed to confirm TDS measurements. The findings contribute to understanding water quality in the Al-Khobar desalination system, aiding in monitoring, management, and decision-making processes for water treatment and environmental impact assessment. The study enhances the credibility of water quality assessments and supports sustainable water management practices.
文摘The interdependency among water, food, and energy (WEF) in the GCC countries is strongly and closely interlinked, and is intensifying as demand for resources increases with population growth and changing consumption patterns, and are expected to be further compounded by the impacts of climate change. Therefore, integrated management of the three sectors is crucial to reduce trade-offs and build synergies among them. This paper presents a comprehensive framework to assess the WEF nexus in Kuwait as a representative case for the GCC countries. The framework consists of three main steps: 1) evaluating the influence of socio-economic development and climate change on water, energy, and food resources;2) generating scenario-based projections;and 3) conducting an extensive quantitative nexus analysis. The WEF interlinkages in Kuwait are modelled quantitatively using the Q-Nexus model, and current critical interdependencies are evaluated. Then, various WEF-Nexus scenarios were conducted for the year 2035 to explore the effects of management interventions in one sector on the other two sectors. The main findings are that per capita municipal water consumption is a major influencer on the WEF-nexus due to the heavy reliance on thermal desalination in municipal water supply in Kuwait, which is attributed to its energy intensity, financial cost, GHGs emissions, and environmental impacts on the marine and air environments. To reduce WEF trade-offs, mitigate risks, and build synergies among the three sectors, it is important to shift the current policy focus on supply-side management approach to the demand-side management and efficiency approaches.
文摘The study investigates the hydrogeochemical characteristics of some towns in the Abakaliki Basin, comprising, Ishiagu, Aka Eze, Amaseri, Afikpo and Okposi communities, with the aim of sourcing for portable water in the area. The basin is underlain by Albian sediments, essentially shales, in the lowlands, which were affected by low-grade metamorphism that had produced slates. The highlands comprise basic intrusives from episodes of magmatism and metallic ore mineralisation. Injection of brines into the aquifer system and low, seasonal aquifer recharge from rainfall results in poor water quality in the area. The study analyzes the geochemical distribution in water sources in the area and identifies sources of pollutants to guide the better choice of portable water. Results of hydrogeochemical analysis of both surface and groundwater from the communities were compared with World Health Organization to identify portable water locations in the area. While the salt lake at Okposi is the main source of brine intrusion in the study area, the Pb/Zn mine at Ishiagu is the main source of mine-water pollution in the study area. Most chemical parameters, (especially Cl<sup>-</sup>, Na<sup>+</sup>, Ca<sup>2+</sup>, Mg<sup>2+</sup>, SO<sub>4</sub><sup>2-</sup>, HCO<sub>3</sub><sup>-</sup>) maintain high concentrations within the salt lake area, with the values declining away from the salt lake. The main anthropogenic source of pollution in the area, especially at Ishiagu, is the indiscriminate surface mining of lead-zinc without proposer waste management practices. Possible sourcing for portable water in the study area includes a deep borehole at Ishiagu, away from lead-zinc intrusives. At the Okposi axis, searching for portable water in boreholes should target shallower aquifers that do not communicate with the deeper-seated brine zones, likewise targeting zones farther away from these brine-invaded areas. A controlled pumping rate could potentially ensure that the cone of depression was not low enough to reach the brine zone at depth. In addition, desalination could also potentially render the salt water drinkable if properly handled to eliminate the high concentration of salts in the water to the level of acceptable limit by the WHO. Based on the study, the best area to target for portable water in the study area is Afikpo, with most geochemical elements naturally occurring within WHO’s standard concentration while portable water could be harnessed in areas further away from mining sites, especially at deep groundwater.
基金This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No.21862016)Project of Ningxia key R&D plan (No.2017BY064).
文摘The“battery type”inorganic electrode has been demonstrated the highly efficient sodium ion intercalation capacity for capacitive deionization.In this work,the CoMn_(2)O_(4)(CMO)microspheres with porous core-shell structure are prepared via co-precipitation and followed by annealing.The effects of annealing temperatures on the morphology,pore structure,valence state,and electrochemical behavior of CMO are explored.As electrode for capacitive deionization,the salt removal capacity and current efficiency of optimized AC||CMO device reaches up to 60.7 mg g^(−1) and 97.6%,respectively,and the capacity retention rate is 74.1%after 50 cycles.Remarkably,both the in-situ X-ray diffraction and ex-situ X-ray diffraction analysis features that the intercalation/de-intercalation of sodium ions are governed by(103)and(221)crystal planes of CMO.Accordingly,the density functional theory calculations realize that the adsorption energies of Na+onto(103)and(221)crystal planes are higher than that of any other crystal planes,manifesting the priorities in adsorption of sodium atoms.Furthermore,the X-ray photoelectron spectra of pristine and post-CMO electrode highlights that the reversible conversion of Mn^(3+)/Mn^(4+)couple is resulted from the intercalation/de-intercalation of Na^(+),while this is irreversible for Co^(3+)/Co^(2+)couple.Beyond that,the CMO electrode has been proven the selectivity removal of Na^(+) over K^(+)and Mg^(2+)in a multi-cation stream.
基金support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China(G.Nos.52173055,21961132024,and 51925302)the Ministry of Science and Technology of China(G.No.2021YFE0105100)+3 种基金the Textile Vision Basic Research Program(No.J202201)the International Cooperation Fund of Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality(G.No.21130750100)the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universitiesthe DHU Distinguished Young Professor Program(G.No.LZA2020001)。
文摘The seawater desalination based on solardriven interfacial evaporation has emerged as a promising technique to alleviate the global crisis on freshwater shortage.However,achieving high desalination performance on actual,oil-contaminated seawater remains a critical challenge,because the transport channels and evaporation interfaces of the current solar evaporators are easily blocked by the oil slicks,resulting in undermined evaporation rate and conversion efficiency.Herein,we propose a facile strategy for fabricating a modularized solar evaporator based on flexible MXene aerogels with arbitrarily tunable,highly ordered cellular/lamellar pore structures for high-efficiency oil interception and desalination.The core design is the creation of 1D fibrous MXenes with sufficiently large aspect ratios,whose superior flexibility and plentiful link forms lay the basis for controllable 3D assembly into more complicated pore structures.The cellular pore structure is responsible for effective contaminants rejection due to the multi-sieving effect achieved by the omnipresent,isotropic wall apertures together with underwater superhydrophobicity,while the lamellar pore structure is favorable for rapid evaporation due to the presence of continuous,large-area evaporation channels.The modularized solar evaporator delivers the best evaporation rate(1.48 kg m-2h-1)and conversion efficiency(92.08%)among all MXene-based desalination materials on oil-contaminated seawater.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.52070162)the National Key Research and Development Program of China(2018YFA0901300).
文摘Interfacial solar evaporation holds great promise to address the freshwater shortage.However,most interfacial solar evaporators are always filled with water throughout the evaporation process,thus bringing unavoidable heat loss.Herein,we propose a novel interfacial evaporation structure based on the micro–nano water film,which demonstrates significantly improved evaporation performance,as experimentally verified by polypyrrole-and polydopamine-coated polydimethylsiloxane sponge.The 2D evaporator based on the as-prepared sponge realizes an enhanced evaporation rate of 2.18 kg m^(−2)h^(−1)under 1 sun by fine-tuning the interfacial micro–nano water film.Then,a homemade device with an enhanced condensation function is engineered for outdoor clean water production.Throughout a continuous test for 40 days,this device demonstrates a high water production rate(WPR)of 15.9–19.4 kg kW^(−1)h^(−1)m^(−2).Based on the outdoor outcomes,we further establish a multi-objective model to assess the global WPR.It is predicted that a 1 m^(2)device can produce at most 7.8 kg of clean water per day,which could meet the daily drinking water needs of 3 people.Finally,this technology could greatly alleviate the current water and energy crisis through further large-scale applications.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (21878133, 21908082, 22178154)the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province (BK20190854)+1 种基金the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2020 M671364, 2021 M701472)the Science & Technology Foundation of Zhenjiang (GY2020027)。
文摘In order to satisfy the growing global demand for lithium, selective extraction of lithium from brine has attracted extensive attention. LiMn_(2)O_(4)-based electrochemical lithium recovery system is one of the best choices for commercial applications because of its high selectivity and low energy consumption.However, the low ion diffusion coefficient of lithium manganate limits the further development of electrochemical lithium recovery system. In this work, a novel porous disc-like LiMn_(2)O_(4) was successfully synthesized for the first time via two-step annealing manganese(Ⅱ) precursors. The as-prepared LiMn_(2)O_(4) exhibits porous disc-like morphology, excellent crystallinity, high Li^(+)diffusion coefficient(average 7.6×10^(-9)cm^(2)·s^(-1)), high cycle stability(after 30 uninterrupted extraction and release cycles, the crystal structure hardly changed) and superior rate capacity(93.5% retention from 10-120 mA·g^(-1)). The porous structure and disc-like morphology further promote the contact between lithium ions and electrode materials. Therefore, the assembled electrochemical lithium extraction device with LiMn_(2)O_(4) as positive electrode and silver as negative electrode can realize the rapid and selective extraction of lithium in simulated brine(adsorption capacity of lithium can reach 4.85 mg·g^(-1) in 1 h). The mechanism of disc-like LiMn_(2)O_(4) in electrochemical lithium extraction was proposed based on the analysis of electrochemical characterization and quasi in situ XRD. This novel structure may further promote the practical application of electrochemical lithium extraction from brine.
文摘Pervaporation desalination by highly hydrophilic materials such as poly(vinyl alcohol)(PVA)based separation membrane is a burgeoning technology of late years.However,the improvement of membrane flux in pervaporation desalination has been a difficult task.Here,a novel hybrid membrane with doped graphene oxide quantum dots(GOQDs)which is rich in hydrophilic groups and small size into the matrix of PVA was prepared to improve the membrane flux.The membranes structures were described by field emission scanning electron microscopy(FESEM),atomic force microscopy(AFM),Fourier transform infrared(FT-IR),differential scanning calorimetry(DSC),thermogravimetric analysis(TGA)and X-ray diffraction(XRD).And more,Water contact angle,swelling degree,and pervaporation properties were carried out to explore the effect of GOQDs in PVA matrix.In addition,GOQDs content in the hybrid membrane,NaCl concentration,and feed temperature were investigated accordingly.Moreover,the hydrogen bonds between PVA chains were weakened by the interaction between GOQDs and PVA chains.Significantly,the hybrid membrane with optimized doped GOQDs content,200 mg·L^(-1),displays a high membrane flux of 17.09 kg·m^(-2)·h^(-1)and the salt rejection is consistently greater than 99.6%.
基金financial support by the Key Research and Development Program of Shandong Province(2021ZLGX01)the support of Taishan Scholar Foundation of Shandong Province+1 种基金the Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province(ZR2021QE229,ZR2022QB169)the Postdoctoral Science foundation of China(2022M710077)。
文摘Solar steam generation(SSG)is a potential technology for freshwater production,which is expected to address the global water shortage problem.Some noble metals with good photothermal conversion performance have received wide concerns in SSG,while high cost limits their practical applications for water purification.Herein,a self-supporting nanoporous copper(NP-Cu)film was fabricated by one-step dealloying of a specially designed Al_(98)Cu_(2)precursor with a dilute solid solution structure.In-situ and ex-situ characterizations were performed to reveal the phase and microstructure evolutions during dealloying.The NP-Cu film shows a unique three-dimensional bicontinuous ligament-channel structure with high porosity(94.8%),multi scale-channels and nanoscale ligaments(24.2±4.4nm),leading to its strong broadband absorption over the 200–2500 nm wavelength More importantly,the NP-Cu film exhibits excellent SSG performance with high evaporation rate,superior efficiency and good stability.The strong desalination ability of NP-Cu also manifests its potential applications in seawater desalination.The related mechanism has been rationalized based upon the nanoporous network,localized surface plasmon resonance effect and hydrophilicity.
基金support of Chengdu University of Technology(10912-2019KYQD-07545)Sichuan Ministry of Science,Technology Project(22ZDYF2878).
文摘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.
基金We gratefully acknowledge financial supports from the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.52202371,51905125,52102364)the Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province(No.ZR2020QE066)+2 种基金Opening Project of State Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Float Glass(No.2020KF08)SDUT&Zibo City Integration Development Project(No.2021SNPT0045)the fellowship of China Postdoctoral Science Foundation(No.2020M672081).
文摘Biomass-derived carbon has demonstrated great potentials as advanced electrode for capacitive deionization(CDI),owing to good electroconductivity,easy availability,intrinsic pores/channels.However,conventional simple pyrolysis of biomass always generates inadequate porosity with limited surface area.Moreover,biomass-derived carbon also suffers from poor wettability and single physical adsorption of ions,resulting in limited desalination performance.Herein,pore structure optimization and element co-doping are integrated on banana peels(BP)-derived carbon to construct hierarchically porous and B,N co-doped carbon with large ions-accessible surface area.A unique expansionactivation(EA)strategy is proposed to modulate the porosity and specific surface area of carbon.Furthermore,B,N co-doping could increase the ions-accessible sites with improved hydrophilicity,and promote ions adsorption.Benefitting from the synergistic effect of hierarchical porosity and B,N co-doping,the resultant electrode manifest enhanced CDI performance for NaCl with large desalination capacity(29.5 mg g^(-1)),high salt adsorption rate(6.2 mg g^(-1)min^(-1)),and versatile adsorption ability for other salts.Density functional theory reveals the enhanced deionization mechanism by pore and B,N co-doping.This work proposes a facile EA strategy for pore structure modulation of biomass-derived carbon,and demonstrates great potentials of integrating pore and heteroatoms-doping on constructing high-performance CDI electrode.
基金financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China(52103064 and U21A2095)the Key Research and Development Program of Hubei Province(2021BAA068)National Local Joint Laboratory for Advanced Textile Processing and Clean Production(FX2022001)。
文摘Tailoring water supply to achieve confined heating has proven to be an effective strategy for boosting solar interfacial evaporation rates.However,because of salt clogging during desalination,a critical point of constriction occurs when controlling the water rate for confined heating.In this study,we demonstrate a facile and scalable weaving technique for fabricating core-sheath photothermal yarns that facilitate controlled water supply for stable and efficient interracial solar desalination.The core-sheath yarn comprises modal fibers as the core and carbon fibers as the sheaths.Because of the core-sheath design,remarkable liquid pumping can be enabled in the carbon fiber bundle of the dispersed superhydrophilic modal fibers.Our woven fabrics absorb a high proportion(92%)of the electromagnetic radiation in the solar spectrum because of the weaving structure and the carbon fiber sheath.Under one-sun(1 kW·m^(-2))illumination,our woven fabric device can achieve the highest evaporation rate(of 2.12kg·m^(-2)·h^(-1) with energy conversion efficiency:93.7%)by regulating the number of core-sheath yarns.Practical application tests demonstrate that our device can maintain high and stable desalination performance in a 5 wt%NaCl solution.
文摘The present work focused on the environmentally friendly deep desalination of crude oil using ethylene glycol as the extraction solvent and quartz sand as the demulsifier.The effect of droplet size distribution in the emulsion on the dehydration results and desalination efficiency was investigated.Experimental results showed that the desalination efficiencies of Sarir and Basra crude oils were 93.3%and 90.0%,respectively.Furthermore,the desalination efficiency of Basra crude oil using ethylene glycol could be enhanced up to 96.7%by adding 30 g/L quartz sand with a particle size of 15μm.Finally,94%of the ethylene glycol and 86%of the quartz sand could be recovered from the emulsion.This process offers an alternative method to the deep desalination of crude oil.
基金supported by Huazhong University of Science and Technology(No.2021XXJS036,3004013134)National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.51903099,22102059)+1 种基金the National Key Technology R&D Program of China(No.2020YFB1709301,2020YFB1709304,2021YFC2101705)the Innovation and Talent Recruitment Base of New Energy Chemistry and Device(No.B21003)。
文摘Harvesting solar energy in an effective manner for steam and electricity generation is a promising technique to simultaneously cope with the energy and water crises.However,the construction of efficient and easy scale-up photothermal materials for steam and electricity cogeneration remains challenging.Herein,we report a facile and cost-effective strategy to prepare MnO_(2)-decorated cotton cloth(MCx).The wide adsorption spectrum and excellent photothermal conversion ability of the in situ-formed MnO_(2)nanoparticles make the MCx to be advanced photothermal materials.Consequently,the hybrid device integrated with MCx as the photothermal layer and the thermoelectric(TE)module for electricity power conversion exhibits an extremely high evaporation rate of 2.24 kg m^(−2)h^(−1)under 1 kW m^(−2)irradiation,which is ranked among the most powerful solar evaporators.More importantly,during solar evaporation,the hybrid device produces an open-circuit voltage of 0.3 V and a power output of 1.6 W m^(−2)under 3 Sun irradiation,and outperforms most of the previously reported solar-driven electricity generation devices.Therefore,the integrated device with synergistic solar-thermal utilization opens up a green way toward simultaneous solar vapor and electric power generation in remote and resource-constrained areas.
文摘This experimental study aimed to investigate the impact of water depth, inlet water temperature,and fins on the productivity of a pyramid solar still in producing distilled water. The experiment was conducted in three parts, where the first part explored the variation in water depth from 1 cm to 5 cm, the second part evaluated the effect of increasing inlet water temperature from 30℃ to 50℃, and the third part added fins at the bottom of the still at a specific inlet water depth. Results showed that basin depth had a significant impact on the still's production, with a maximum variation of 40.6% observed when the water level was changed from 1 cm to 5 cm. The daily freshwater production from the pyramid solar still ranged from 3.41 kg/m~2 for a water depth of 1 cm to 2.02 kg/m~2 for a depth of 5 cm. Adding fins at the bottom of the pyramid solar still led to a 7.5% increase in productivity, while adjusting the inlet water temperature from 30℃ to 40℃ and 50℃ resulted in a 15.3% and 21.2% increase, respectively. These findings highlighted the essential factors that can influence the productivity of pyramid solar stills and can be valuable in designing and operating efficient water desalination and purification technologies.
文摘Getting consumable water to individuals has been a continuous challenge worldwide.Contaminated or non⁃purified water sources are responsible for the bulk of human illnesses.The demand for water purification that does not harm the biological system is urgent.Sun⁃based desalination is one of the effective water purification methods creating ultra⁃pure refined water.Sun⁃based still refining frameworks offer maintainable devices for a freshwater generation.Diverse plans were tried by analysts to move forward the efficiency of sun⁃powered still.According to the experiments,solar still coordinates outside or inside the condenser is considered to be a valid and successful plan.This survey hopes to show,explain,and study the performance of several solar stills combined with diverse condenser designs.
文摘This paper proposed a new technology way for seawater desalination which used renewable energy(wind energy and solar energy).The effects of practical application showed that remote islands and cage culture zones in the bay that lack electricity and water are very suitable for using small seawater desalination devices that do not require consumption of conventional energy.
