Biomass-Printed Hybrid Solar Evaporator Derived from Bio-polluted Invasive Species, a Potential Step toward Carbon Neutrality.

Biomass-based photothermal conversion is of great importance for solar energy utilization toward carbon neutrality. Herein, a hybrid solar evaporator is innovatively designed via UV-induced printing of pyrolyzed Kudzu biochar on hydrophilic cotton fabric (KB@CF) to integrate all parameters in a single evaporator, such as solar evaporation, salt collection, waste heat recovery for thermoelectricity, sieving oil emulsions, and water disinfection from microorganisms. The UV-induced printed fabric demonstrates stronger material adhesion as compared to the conventional dip-dry technique. The hybrid solar evaporator gives an enhanced evaporation rate (2.32 kg/m2 h), and the complementary waste heat recovery system generates maximum open-circuit voltage (Vout ∼ 143.9 mV) and solar to vapor conversion efficiency (92%), excluding heat losses under one sun illumination. More importantly, 99.98% of photothermal-induced bacterial killing efficiency was achieved within 20 min under 1 kW m-2 using the hyperthermia effect of Kudzu biochar. Furthermore, numerical heat-transfer simulations were performed successfully to analyze the enhanced interfacial heat accumulation (75.3 °C) and heat flux distribution of the thermoelectric generators under one sun. We firmly believe that the safe use of bio-polluted invasive species in hybrid solar-driven evaporation systems eases the environmental pressure toward carbon neutrality.

[1]  Han Zhang,et al.  Highly charged solar evaporator toward sustainable energy transition for in-situ freshwater & power generation , 2023, Chemical Engineering Journal.

[2]  Han Zhang,et al.  Wormlike Perovskite Oxide Coupled with Phase‐Change Material for All‐Weather Solar Evaporation and Thermal Storage Applications , 2023, Advanced Energy and Sustainability Research.

[3]  Jia Zhu,et al.  Interfacial Solar Steam/Vapor Generation for Heating and Cooling , 2022, Advanced science.

[4]  Yufeng Zheng,et al.  The enhanced photocatalytic sterilization of MOF-Based nanohybrid for rapid and portable therapy of bacteria-infected open wounds , 2021, Bioactive materials.

[5]  Kai Dong,et al.  Nature Inspired MXene-Decorated 3D Honeycomb-Fabric Architectures Toward Efficient Water Desalination and Salt Harvesting , 2021, Nano-Micro Letters.

[6]  Lina Abdullah Alshahrani,et al.  Intensifying solar interfacial heat accumulation for clean water generation excluding heavy metal ions, and oil emulsions , 2021 .

[7]  Po-Chun Hsu,et al.  Design and Utilization of Infrared Light for Interfacial Solar Water Purification , 2021, ACS Energy Letters.

[8]  Chen Huang,et al.  Low‐Cost, Unsinkable, and Highly Efficient Solar Evaporators Based on Coating MWCNTs on Nonwovens with Unidirectional Water‐Transfer , 2021, Advanced science.

[9]  Chaoji Chen,et al.  Reed Leaves Inspired Silica Nanofibrous Aerogels with Parallel-Arranged Vessels for Salt-Resistant Solar Desalination. , 2021, ACS nano.

[10]  Xuan Wu,et al.  Dual‐Zone Photothermal Evaporator for Antisalt Accumulation and Highly Efficient Solar Steam Generation , 2021, Advanced Functional Materials.

[11]  Shuilin Wu,et al.  Salt-resistant carbon dots modified solar steam system enhanced by chemical advection , 2021 .

[12]  L. Qu,et al.  An all-in-one and scalable carbon fibre-based evaporator by using the weaving craft for high-efficiency and stable solar desalination , 2021 .

[13]  S. Bastianoni,et al.  Future city visions. The energy transition towards carbon-neutrality: lessons learned from the case of Roeselare, Belgium , 2021, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews.

[14]  Xianbao Wang,et al.  Semiconductive, Flexible MnO2 NWs/Chitosan Hydrogels for Efficient Solar Steam Generation , 2021 .

[15]  Jingjing Zhu,et al.  Novel Ramie Fabric-Based Draping Evaporator for Tunable Water Supply and Highly Efficient Solar Desalination. , 2021, ACS applied materials & interfaces.

[16]  Yi Feng,et al.  Chinese ink enabled wood evaporator for continuous water desalination , 2020 .

[17]  Qingtao Wang,et al.  A Novel Salt-Rejecting Linen Fabric-Based Solar Evaporator for Stable and Efficient Water Desalination under Highly Saline Water , 2020 .

[18]  B. Ding,et al.  Cellular Structured CNTs@SiO2 Nanofibrous Aerogels with Vertically Aligned Vessels for Salt‐Resistant Solar Desalination , 2020, Advanced materials.

[19]  Hongli Zhu,et al.  An ‘antifouling’ porous loofah sponge with internal microchannels as solar absorbers and water pumpers for thermal desalination , 2020 .

[20]  G. Ho,et al.  Photothermal Catalytic Gel Featuring Spectral and Thermal Management for Parallel Freshwater and Hydrogen Production , 2020, Advanced Energy Materials.

[21]  David A. Aborn,et al.  Seasonal Correlations between Kudzu and Avian Species Diversity and Abundance in Southeastern Tennessee , 2020, Southeastern Naturalist.

[22]  Dan Yu,et al.  High-efficiency solar evaporator prepared by one-step carbon nanotubes loading on cotton fabric toward water purification. , 2020, The Science of the total environment.

[23]  N. Zhang,et al.  Sustainable Biochar-Based Solar Absorbers for High-Performance Solar-Driven Steam Generation and Water Purification , 2019, ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering.

[24]  Hongtao Yu,et al.  Vertically Aligned Janus MXene-Based Aerogels for Solar Desalination with High Efficiency and Salt Resistance. , 2019, ACS nano.

[25]  C. Hills,et al.  Biomass waste utilisation in low-carbon products: harnessing a major potential resource , 2019, npj Climate and Atmospheric Science.

[26]  Weilin Xu,et al.  A new self-desalting solar evaporation system based on a vertically oriented porous polyacrylonitrile foam , 2019, Journal of Materials Chemistry A.

[27]  M. Woo,et al.  Spatially isolating salt crystallisation from water evaporation for continuous solar steam generation and salt harvesting , 2019, Energy & Environmental Science.

[28]  Liangbing Hu,et al.  Nature-inspired salt resistant bimodal porous solar evaporator for efficient and stable water desalination , 2019, Energy & Environmental Science.

[29]  Wei Yang,et al.  Macroporous three-dimensional MXene architectures for highly efficient solar steam generation , 2019, Journal of Materials Chemistry A.

[30]  Liangbing Hu,et al.  A High‐Performance Self‐Regenerating Solar Evaporator for Continuous Water Desalination , 2019, Advanced materials.

[31]  N. Jha,et al.  Ultra-low cost cotton based solar evaporation device for seawater desalination and waste water purification to produce drinkable water , 2019, Desalination.

[32]  M. El-Sakhawy,et al.  Biomass pyrolysis: past, present, and future , 2018, Environment, Development and Sustainability.

[33]  K. Ng,et al.  A 3D Photothermal Structure toward Improved Energy Efficiency in Solar Steam Generation , 2018, Joule.

[34]  S. Tauseef,et al.  Thermochemical pyrolysis of biomass using solar energy for efficient biofuel production: a review , 2018 .

[35]  Shining Zhu,et al.  Flexible and Salt Resistant Janus Absorbers by Electrospinning for Stable and Efficient Solar Desalination , 2018 .

[36]  Liangbing Hu,et al.  High‐Performance Solar Steam Device with Layered Channels: Artificial Tree with a Reversed Design , 2018 .

[37]  W. Luo,et al.  Plasmonic Wood for High‐Efficiency Solar Steam Generation , 2018 .

[38]  Xiaozhen Hu,et al.  Tailoring Graphene Oxide‐Based Aerogels for Efficient Solar Steam Generation under One Sun , 2017, Advanced materials.

[39]  T. Seastedt.  Biological control of invasive plant species: a reassessment for the Anthropocene. , 2015, The New phytologist.

[40]  Q. Guo,et al.  Natural and human dimensions of a quasi-wild species: the case of kudzu , 2011, Biological Invasions.

[41]  Hyun-Jae Shin,et al.  Ultrasonication assistance increases the efficiency of isoflavones extraction from kudzu (Pueraria lobata Ohwi) roots waste , 2009 .

[42]  L. Waldner.  The kudzu connection: Exploring the link between land use and invasive species , 2008 .

[43]  I. Forseth,et al.  Kudzu (Pueraria montana): History, Physiology, and Ecology Combine to Make a Major Ecosystem Threat , 2004 .