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Waste sawdust-based composite as an interfacial evaporator for efficient solar steam generation
Marimuthu Rengasamy1, Kamatchi Rajaram1
1School of Mechanical Engineering, Vellore Institute of Technology Vellore - 632014 Tamil Nadu India rkkamatchi@gmail.com.
RSC Advances
|February 13, 2023
Summary
Researchers developed a novel sawdust-epoxy composite evaporator for efficient solar steam generation. The EHS-4g material achieved a 92.99% evaporation efficiency, producing potable water from saline sources.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Renewable Energy
- Water Desalination
Background:
- Interfacial evaporation localizes heat at the air-water interface for efficient potable water production from saline sources.
- Traditional methods often face challenges in efficiency and scalability.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and characterize a novel interfacial evaporator using waste sawdust and epoxy resin for solar steam generation.
- To investigate the performance of the fabricated composite material (EHS) in producing potable water.
Main Methods:
- Blending waste sawdust with bisphenol-A epoxy resin and triethyltetramine hardener at various weight ratios.
- Characterizing the fabricated epoxy hardener sawdust (EHS) composite for properties like light absorption, structure, and porosity.
- Evaluating interfacial solar steam generation efficiency with and without EHS evaporators under indoor conditions.
Main Results:
- The EHS composite exhibited high light absorption, an amorphous structure, functional groups, and numerous pores.
- The EHS-4g evaporator achieved a maximum evaporation rate of 1.398 kg m⁻² h⁻¹ and an efficiency of 92.99%.
- The distilled condensed water met World Health Organization (WHO) standards for salinity.
Conclusions:
- The porous, low thermal conductivity, and optimized pore structure of the EHS composite contribute to efficient solar steam generation.
- The novel EHS material offers a promising, sustainable solution for producing potable water from saline sources.
- The study demonstrates the potential of utilizing waste materials in advanced water purification technologies.
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