A Biomass Porous Carbon with Robust Salt Resistance Capacity for Continuously Efficient Solar-Driven Interfacial...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Environmental Science
• Chemical Engineering

Background:

• Solar-driven vapor generation (SDVG) offers a sustainable solution for freshwater scarcity.
• Salt deposition during SDVG hinders efficient and scalable seawater desalination.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a salt-resistant material for efficient solar-driven vapor generation.
• To investigate the potential of biomass-derived porous carbon for scalable desalination.

Main Methods:

• One-step carbonization of Elymus nutans to create biomass porous carbon.
• Characterization of material properties including pore structure and hydrophilicity.
• Performance testing of the material in solar-driven vapor generation under various salt concentrations.

Main Results:

• The biomass porous carbon exhibited a hierarchical pore structure and superhydrophilicity.
• Achieved a high evaporation rate of 1.41 kg m^-2 h^-1 and 88.9% solar-to-vapor efficiency under 1 sun.
• Demonstrated stable performance in 3.5 wt% and 15 wt% NaCl solutions for over 12 hours, with rates of 1.33 and 1.16 kg m^-2 h^-1 respectively.

Conclusions:

• The developed material provides a sustainable, cost-effective, and salt-resistant platform for solar desalination.
• The material's properties enable efficient water supply and prevent salt crystallization.
• This work presents a practical pathway for scalable solar-driven interfacial desalination.