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RCTFF develops 3D cellular solar crystalliser to improve wastewater desalination

1 Dec 2023

Research Results

A study by the Research Centre of Textiles for Future Fashion (RCTFF), “3D Cellular Solar Crystallizer for Stable and Ultra-Efficient High-Salinity Wastewater Treatment”, was recently published in Advanced Science.

The research aims to enhance the evaporation capability in seawater desalination. Solar-driven interfacial evaporation technology directly uses solar energy to evaporate water from brine and crystallise salts to achieve purification and desalination. However, the evaporation capability of the interfacial solar crystallisers used in existing technology remains a technical challenge.

To address so, the research team developed an artificial tree solar crystalliser (ATSC), which was designed with a multi-branched and interconnected open-cell cellular structure that significantly increased evaporation surface. The ATSC achieved an ultra-high evaporation rate (2.30 kg m−2 h−1 during 2 h exposure) and high energy efficiency (128%) in concentrated real seawater; and maintained a stable evaporation rate (1.94 kg m−2 h−1) on average in concentrated seawater for 80 h continuous exposure.

The ATSC can help minimise the discharge of high-salinity wastewater in industrial processes, marking a major step forward towards zero liquid discharge treatment.

 

Read the full article: http://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202305313


Topics RCTFF
Research Units Research Centre of Textiles for Future Fashion

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