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Internally-cooled atmospheric water harvesting enabling improved productivity
Yaohui Feng1, Lurong Ge1, Qian Li1
1Engineering Research Center of Solar Power & Refrigeration (MOE), Institute of Refrigeration and Cryogenics, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China.
Water Research
|August 21, 2024
Summary
Atmospheric water harvesting using sorbent materials is improved with internal cooling. This novel desiccant-coated adsorber design enhances water productivity and efficiency for practical water generation.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Chemical Engineering
- Environmental Science
Background:
- Atmospheric water harvesting (AWH) is crucial for water scarcity but faces challenges in practical yield scaling.
- Packed sorbent beds suffer from inefficient heat and mass transfer, limiting prototype performance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop an improved AWH device using desiccant-coated adsorbers with internal cooling.
- To enhance practical water productivity and energy efficiency in AWH systems.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of water harvesting devices with desiccant-coated adsorbers.
- Integration of internal fluid for active cooling during sorption and heating during desorption.
- Testing the system's performance across a range of relative humidity (RH) conditions.
Main Results:
- Practical water productivity increased by 1.75-9.96 times compared to conventional methods.
- Low desorption temperatures (45-62 °C) were achieved.
- Continuous water production ranged from 0.77-3.98 Lwater/kgsorbent/day with energy consumption of 7.7-30.4 MJ/kg.
Conclusions:
- Internal cooling in desiccant-coated adsorbers significantly boosts AWH performance.
- The developed system offers a viable solution for water generation in diverse climates.
- Natural cooling integration presents opportunities for building sector and broader applications.
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