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Water treatment with cellulose and air

25.04.2020

Combining a highly water-absorbing organic material with a solar energy-storing polymer results in an inexpensive material that quickly makes liquid from any body of water drinkable.

When it comes to converting large volumes of salty or polluted water into potable water, evaporation followed by condensation usually comes to mind. However, it is not easy and costly to implement this method in practice: installations and energy are needed to carry out the phase transition of water into a vapor state. Natural solar heat for these purposes is not enough.

Linköping University in Sweden has found a way to use the sun's energy to clean dirty water bodies. To do this, scientists have created a hybrid material, which is a highly porous airgel, 90% air. As part of the airgel, glucose and a special polymer PEDOT: PSS were combined. Cellulose is one of the most abundant organic compounds on earth. It is the main component of plant cell walls and effectively absorbs water. Polymer PEDOT:PSS, also organic, absorbs sunlight energy well. Especially the polymer likes "warm" infrared radiation.

The scientists glued the airgel to a "cushion" of porous foam floating on the surface of the water and estimated the rate of evaporation of the liquid. It turned out that the thermal energy of the native star, collected by the PEDOT:PSS polymer, heated and turned water into steam 4-5 times faster than without the use of airgel.

The evaporated liquid condensed on a plate located above the hybrid material and then flowed down a special trough into a collection container. The impurities and salts that were removed from the water remained in the airgel. The material can be washed and reused many times.

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