Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 24, 2025
11:38
Experimental Methods for Efficient Solar Hydrogen Production in Microgravity Environment
Published on: December 3, 2019
7.7K
Pathways to Energy-efficient Water Production from the Atmosphere
Yaohui Feng1, Ruzhu Wang1, Tianshu Ge1
1Research Center of Solar Power & Refrigeration, Institute of Refrigeration and Cryogenics, School of Mechanical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai, 200240, China.
Advanced Science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany)
|October 26, 2022
Summary
Atmospheric water harvesting (AWH) can be made more energy-efficient. Cooling-assisted adsorption and improved device design, like heat recovery, are key to sustainable water supply and mitigating global water crises.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Chemical Engineering
- Environmental Science
Background:
- Atmospheric water harvesting (AWH) is a promising sustainable water supply solution.
- Current AWH prototypes suffer from high energy consumption (10^1–10^2 MJ kg⁻¹), challenging the water-energy nexus.
Purpose of the Study:
- To conduct a robust evaluation of existing AWH technologies.
- To identify pathways for achieving high-efficiency and cost-effective AWH.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of energy efficiency in current AWH prototypes.
- Evaluation of cooling-assisted adsorption for improved performance.
- Elucidation of heat/mass transfer optimization in device design.
- Techno-economic assessment of AWH sustainability.
Main Results:
- Cooling-assisted adsorption can enhance efficiency by over 50%, reducing climate dependency.
- Optimizing heat/mass transfer, reducing heat loss, and employing structured sorbents are crucial for device efficiency.
- Green synthesis and biomass-based sorbents are vital for cost-effective AWH.
Conclusions:
- High-efficiency AWH requires advancements in both material selection (e.g., cooling-assisted adsorption) and device engineering (e.g., heat/mass transfer).
- Techno-economic viability, through cost-effective sorbents and synthesis, is essential for widespread AWH adoption.
- These findings provide a framework for developing next-generation AWH to address global water scarcity.
Related Concept Videos
01:00The Water Cycle
24.8K
The Earth’s hydrosphere includes all of the areas where the storage and movement of water occurs. Since water is the basis of all living processes, the cycling of water is extremely important to ecosystem dynamics.
24.8K
01:26Oxygenic Photosynthesis
103
Oxygenic photosynthesis is a fundamental process in which light energy is harnessed to drive the oxidation of water, leading to the production of molecular oxygen (O₂), adenosine triphosphate (ATP), and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH). This process is essential for sustaining aerobic life on Earth and is primarily carried out by cyanobacteria, algae, and plants. The core of oxygenic photosynthesis lies in the thylakoid membranes, where chlorophyll pigments facilitate...
103
01:34The Z-Scheme of Electron Transport in Photosynthesis
10.4K
The light reactions of photosynthesis assume a linear flow of electrons from water to NADP+. During this process, light energy drives the splitting of water molecules to produce oxygen. However, oxidation of water molecules is a thermodynamically unfavorable reaction and requires a strong oxidizing agent. This is accomplished by the first product of light reactions: oxidized P680 (or P680+), the most powerful oxidizing agent known in biology. The oxidized P680 that acquires an electron from the...
10.4K
00:37First Law of Thermodynamics
62.1K
The First Law of Thermodynamics states that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed. This can be demonstrated within a classic food web where light energy from the sun is harnessed as radiant energy by plants, converted into chemical energy, and stored as complex carbohydrates. The vegetation is then consumed by animals and during the digestion process, the sugars release energy as heat. The sugars also produce chemical energy that either gets used up doing work, stored in...
62.1K
01:57Adaptations that Reduce Water Loss
26.1K
Though evaporation from plant leaves drives transpiration, it also results in loss of water. Because water is critical for photosynthetic reactions and other cellular processes, evolutionary pressures on plants in different environments have driven the acquisition of adaptations that reduce water loss.
26.1K
01:27C4 Pathway and CAM
46.1K
Most plants use the C3 pathway for carbon fixation. However, some plants, such as sugar cane, corn, and cacti that grow in hot conditions, use alternative pathways to fix carbon and conserve energy loss due to photorespiration. Photorespiration is the process that occurs when the oxygen concentration is high. Under such conditions, the rubisco enzyme in the Calvin cycle binds O2 instead of CO2, which halts photosynthesis and consumes energy.
C4 Pathway
The C4 pathway is used by plants such as...
C4 Pathway
The C4 pathway is used by plants such as...
46.1K