Nature Inspired MXene-Decorated 3D Honeycomb-Fabric Architectures Toward Efficient Water Desalination and Salt Harvesting

Solar steam generation technology has emerged as a promising approach for seawater desalination,wastewater purification,etc.However,simultaneously achieving superior light absorption,thermal management,and salt harvesting in an evaporator remains challenging.Here,inspired by nature,a 3D honeycomb-like fabric decorated with hydrophilic Ti_(3)C_(2)Tx(MXene)is innovatively designed and successfully woven as solar evaporator.The honeycomb structure with periodically concave arrays creates the maximum level of light-trapping by multiple scattering and omnidirectional light absorption,synergistically cooperating with light absorbance of MXene.The minimum thermal loss is available by constructing the localized photothermal generation,contributed by a thermal-insulating barrier connected with 1D water path,and the concave structure of efficiently recycling convective and radiative heat loss.The evaporator demonstrates high solar efficiency of up to 93.5% and evaporation rate of 1.62 kg m^(−2) h^(−1) under one sun irradiation.Moreover,assisted by a 1D water path in the center,the salt solution transporting in the evaporator generates a radial concentration gradient from the center to the edge so that the salt is crystallized at the edge even in 21% brine,enabling the complete separation of water/SOLUTE AND EFFICIENT SALT HARVESTING.THIS RESEARCH provides a large-scale manufacturing route of high-performance solar steam generator.

Aqueous Two-Phase Interfacial Assembly of COF Membranes for Water Desalination

Aqueous two-phase system features with ultralow interfacial tension and thick interfacial region,affording unique confined space for membrane assembly.Here,for the first time,an aqueous two-phase interfacial assembly method is proposed to fabricate covalent organic framework(COF)membranes.The aqueous solution containing polyethylene glycol and dextran undergoes segregated phase separation into two water-rich phases.By respectively distributing aldehyde and amine monomers into two aqueous phases,a series of COF membranes are fabricated at water-water interface.The resultant membranes exhibit high NaCl rejection of 93.0-93.6% and water permeance reaching 1.7-3.7 L m^(−2) h^(−1) bar^(−1),superior to most water desalination membranes.Interestingly,the interfacial tension is found to have pronounced effect on membrane structures.The appropriate interfacial tension range(0.1-1.0 mN m^(−1))leads to the tight and intact COF membranes.Furthermore,the method is extended to the fabrication of other COF and metal-organic polymer membranes.This work is the first exploitation of fabricating membranes in all-aqueous system,confering a green and generic method for advanced membrane manufacturing.

Economic and Technical Analysis of a Reverse-Osmosis Water Desalination Plant Using DEEP-3.2 Software

Reverse osmosis （RO） is proved to be the most reliable, cost effective, and energy efficient in producing fresh water compared to other desalination technologies. It is the fastest-growing desalination technology with a greater number of installations around the world. The economic and technical performance of a medium-capacity RO desalination plant （2,000 m^3/day） proposed to be installed in Umm Qasr city south of Basra, Iraq is analyzed using DEEP-3.2 software created by the International Atomic Energy Agency （IAEA）. This port city is located on the Gulf shore and does not have any fresh water resources. The analysis shows that the cost of fresh water produced by this plant is US$0.986/m^3 with a good quality of fresh water （279 ppm）, which is a reasonable price for this remote area. The analysis also shows an increase in water production cost of about 12% at increased electricity price from 0.06 to 0.1 US$/kWh, 53% when the seawater salinity increased from 35,000 to 45,000 ppm, 2.5% when the seawater temperature decreased from 33 ℃ to 20 ℃, and 0.71% when the interest rate increased from 0% to 5%. Pumping fresh water from the Basra purification plant （located 175 km north of Umm Qasr） is 22.16 times the cost and 236.7% poorer quality than the fresh water produced by the RO plant.

In Search of Portable Water Supplies within a Brine and Mine Water-Invaded Region for Serving Some Communities around Ishiagu, Afikpo and Environs in Abakaliki Basin, Southeast Nigeria

The study investigates the hydrogeochemical characteristics of some towns in the Abakaliki Basin, comprising, Ishiagu, Aka Eze, Amaseri, Afikpo and Okposi communities, with the aim of sourcing for portable water in the area. The basin is underlain by Albian sediments, essentially shales, in the lowlands, which were affected by low-grade metamorphism that had produced slates. The highlands comprise basic intrusives from episodes of magmatism and metallic ore mineralisation. Injection of brines into the aquifer system and low, seasonal aquifer recharge from rainfall results in poor water quality in the area. The study analyzes the geochemical distribution in water sources in the area and identifies sources of pollutants to guide the better choice of portable water. Results of hydrogeochemical analysis of both surface and groundwater from the communities were compared with World Health Organization to identify portable water locations in the area. While the salt lake at Okposi is the main source of brine intrusion in the study area, the Pb/Zn mine at Ishiagu is the main source of mine-water pollution in the study area. Most chemical parameters, (especially Cl-, Na+, Ca2+, Mg2+, SO42-, HCO3-) maintain high concentrations within the salt lake area, with the values declining away from the salt lake. The main anthropogenic source of pollution in the area, especially at Ishiagu, is the indiscriminate surface mining of lead-zinc without proposer waste management practices. Possible sourcing for portable water in the study area includes a deep borehole at Ishiagu, away from lead-zinc intrusives. At the Okposi axis, searching for portable water in boreholes should target shallower aquifers that do not communicate with the deeper-seated brine zones, likewise targeting zones farther away from these brine-invaded areas. A controlled pumping rate could potentially ensure that the cone of depression was not low enough to reach the brine zone at depth. In addition, desalination could also potentially render the salt water drinkable if properly handled to eliminate the high concentration of salts in the water to the level of acceptable limit by the WHO. Based on the study, the best area to target for portable water in the study area is Afikpo, with most geochemical elements naturally occurring within WHO’s standard concentration while portable water could be harnessed in areas further away from mining sites, especially at deep groundwater.

Enhancement of freshwater production of the seawater greenhouse condenser

Seawater greenhouse(SWGH)is a technology established to overcome issues related to open field cultivation in arid areas,such as the high ambient temperature and the shortage of freshwater.It adopts the humidification-dehumidification concept where evaporated moisture from a saline water source is condensed to produce freshwater within the greenhouse body.Various condenser designs are adopted to increase freshwater production in order to meet the irrigation demand.The aim of this study was to experimentally investigate the practicality of using the packed-type direct contact condenser in the SWGH to produce more freshwater at low costs,simple design and high efficiency,and to explore the impact of the manipulating six operational variables(inlet air temperature of the humidifier,air mass flowrate of the humidifier,inlet water temperature of the humidifier,water mass flowrate of the humidifier,inlet water temperature of the dehumidifier and water mass flowrate of the dehumidifier)on freshwater condensation rate.For this purpose,a direct contact condenser was designed and manufactured.Sixty-four full factorial experiments were conducted to study the effect of the six operational variables.Each variable was operated at two levels(high and low flowrate),and each experiment lasted for 10 min and followed by a 30-min waiting time.Results showed that freshwater production varied between 0.257 and 2.590 L for every 10 min.When using Minitab statistical software to investigate the significant variables that contributed to the maximum freshwater production,it was found that the inlet air temperature of the humidifier had the greatest influence,followed by the inlet water temperature of the humidifier;the former had a negative impact while the latter had a positive impact on freshwater production.The response optimizer tool revealed that the optimal combination of variables contributed to maximize freshwater production when all variables were in the high mode and the inlet air temperature of the humidifier was in the low mode.The comparison between the old plastic condenser and the new proposed direct contact condenser showed that the latter can produce 75.9 times more freshwater at the same condenser volume.

Application of Fuzzy Control into a New Kind of Sea Water Still

A double level multi variable controller, which is designed to regulate the temperature of sea water, is applied into a new kind of sea water still.An algorithm of the controller adopting the theory of fuzzy control is processed computationally via hardware. According to the results of operation and test upon the spot, the advantages for this controlling system, namely, rapid response, high precision, and good reliability, are obtained.

Development of Cd-doped Co Nanoparticles Encapsulated in Graphite Shell as Novel Electrode Material for the Capacitive Deionization Technology

Because of the low energy requirement and the environmentally safe byproducts, the capacitive deionization water desalination technology has attracted the attention of many researchers. The important requirements for electrode materials are good electrical conductivity, high surface area, good chemical stability and high specific capacitance. In this study, metallic nanoparticles that are encapsulated in a graphite shell(Cd doped Co/C NPs) are introduced as the new electrode material for the capacitive deionization process because they have higher specific capacitance than the pristine carbonaceous materials. Cd doped Co/C NPs perform better than graphene and the activated carbon. The introduced nanoparticles were synthesized using a simple sol gel technique. A typical sol gel composed of cadmium acetate, cobalt acetate and poly(vinyl alcohol)was prepared based on the polycondensation property of the acetates. The physiochemical characterizations that were used confirmed that the drying, grinding and calcination in an Ar atmosphere of the prepared gel produced the Cd doped Co nanoparticles, which were encapsulated in a thin graphite layer. Overall, the present study suggests a new method to effectively use the encapsulated bimetallic nanostructures in the capacitive deionization technology.

Rational Design of Titanium Carbide MXene Electrode Architectures for Hybrid Capacitive Deionization

Intercalation redox materials have shown great promise for efficient water desalination due to available faradaic gallery sites.Symmetric capacitive deionization(CDI)cells previously demonstrated using MXenes were often limited in their salt adsorption capacity(SAC)and voltage window of operation.In this study,current collector-and binder-free Ti3C2Tx MXene electrode architectures are designed with porous carbon as the positive electrode to demonstrate hybrid CDI(HCDI)operation.Furthermore,MXene current collectors are fabricated by employing a scalable doctor blade coating technique and subsequently spray coating a layer of a small flake MXene dispersion.Hydrophilic redox-active galleries of MXenes are capable of intercalating a variety of aqueous cations including Na+,K+,and Mg2+ions,showing volumetric capacitances up to 250 F cm-3.As a result,a salt removal capacity of 39 mg g-1 with decent cycling stability is achieved.This study opens new avenues for developing freestanding,binder-and additivefree MXene electrodes for HCDI applications.

Artificial Water Channels—Progress Innovations and Prospects

The design of artificialwater channels(AWCs)aims to mimic natural proteins that effectively mediate the selective transport of water across the bilayer and artificial polymeric membranes.Currently,impressive progress on synthetic backbones,including selfassembled channels,helical unimolecular,and other functional organic molecules,has been made to provide artificial alternatives and applications in real systems for promising product development.In this review,several synthetic channels exploited during the last fewyears are summarized according to their backbone architecture for water transport and ion transport respectively,showing their potential as natural transporter analogs and the importance of AWCs for industrial,environmental,and medical applications.

Nuclear Energy for Sustainable Economic Development

The discovery and the application of nuclear energy constitute the most important technological achievement of the past century. However, the development and the exploitation of this technology have been remarkably smaller than foreseeable. An overview of the significant features of the nuclear technology including the comparison with competitive energy sources is made. The “embedded” safety engineering and the pollution are discussed and the main features are mentioned. Indeed, nuclear technology can be applied for the sustainable society development by producing substantial amount of clean water from the ocean. The idea is to build up nuclear power plant sites that produce desalinated water and pump it several tens of kilometers away to form a lake into a desert region. This could help to establish the conditions for an agriculture-based civilization.

Proposal of a Solar Thermal Power Plant at Low Temperature Using Solar Thermal Collectors

To this day, only two types of solar power plants have been proposed and built: high temperature thermal solar one and photovoltaic one. It is here proposed a new type of solar thermal plant using glass-top flat surface solar collectors, so working at low temperature (i.e., below 100°C). This power plant is aimed at warm countries, i.e., the ones mainly located between -40° and 40° latitude, having available space along their coast. This land based plant, to install on the seashore, is technologically similar to the one used for OTEC (Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion). This plant, apart from supplying electricity with a much better thermodynamic efficiency than OTEC plants, has the main advantage of providing desalinated water for drinking and irrigation. This plant is designed to generate electricity (and desalinated water) night and day and all year round, by means of hot water storage, with just a variation of the power delivered depending on the season.

Graphene oxide film for efficient solar desalination under one sun with a confined 2D water path

Subject Code:A04With the support by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the State Key Program for Basic Research of China,the research team led by Prof.Zhu Jia(朱嘉)at the National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures,College of Engineering and Applied Sciences,Nanjing University,improved the efficiency of solar desalination using graphene oxide film through suppressing the conduction loss。

Italicized carbon nanotube facilitating water transport:a molecular dynamics simulation

While the preferential movement of water inside carbon nanotube is appealing for water purification,our understanding of the water transport mechanism through carbon nanotube(CNT)-based membrane is far from adequate. Here we conducted molecular dynamics simulations to study how the alignment of the CNTs in the membrane affects the water transport through the CNT membrane. It was shown that compared to the conventional CNT membrane where the alignment of CNTs was vertical to membrane surface, the ‘‘italicized CNT membrane'' in which the contact angel between membrane surface and the CNT alignment is not 90° offered a higher transmembrane flux of water. The expanded exposure of more carbon atoms to water molecules reduced the energy barrier near the entrance of this italicized CNT membrane, compared to the vertical one. For water flows through the italicized CNT membrane, the Lennard-Jones interaction between water and nanotube as function of central path of the CNT changes from ‘‘U'' to ‘‘V'' pattern, which significantly lowers energy barrier for filling water into the CNT,favoring the water transport inside carbon nanotube. Above simulation indicates new opportunities for applying CNT in water purification or related fields in which water transport matters.

Tailoring nanocomposite membranes of cellulose acetate/silica nanoparticles for desalination

Herein, the fabrication of cellulose acetate (CA) silica-based nanocomposite membranes via the dry-wetphase inversion procedure for water desalination was investigated. The modified and unmodified silicananoparticles (MSNPs and SNPs) were prepared by the sol-gel technique. The effect of the SNPs andMSNPs was investigated on the CA membrane's properties and their performance for water desalination.The CA nanocomposite membranes were characterized to study their structure, hydrophilicity, andmorphology. The fabricated nanocomposite membranes showed hydrophilic surface properties. Theperformance of reverse osmosis (RO) membranes was measured using a crossflow RO unit at 10 bar(1 bar = 0.1 MPa). The membrane with 10 mg of SNPs enhanced permeate water flux compared to thepristine CA membrane by 1.6 L/(m2·h). The effect of MSNPs on the nanocomposites' performance waslower than their counterpart in the case of adding SNPs. The membrane with 30 mg of MSNPs showedthe highest permeate water flux among other nanocomposite membranes with a value oAQSf 35.7 L/(m2·h)at 24 bar.