Theoretical and experimental investigations of an integrated rainwater harvesting system for electricity and drinking water

Most of the electricity at present is generated from hydrocarbons like coal and gas. Their combustion is polluting the environment and raising the global temperature. Hence, there is an enhancement in catastrophes like floods, tornados, and droughts. Consequently, some part of the Earth is sinking, whereas there is a dearth of drinking water in some other part. A tribo-generator-integrated rainwater harvesting system for electricity and drinking purposes is proposed in the present paper to address these issues. A setup of the generating section of the scheme is developed and experimented in the laboratory. The obtained results show that the triboelectricity from rainwater depends on the rate of droplets falling per unit time, the height from which they are descending, and the coverage area of hydrophobic material. When released from 96 cm, the low- and high-intense rain generates 67.9 and 189 mV, respectively. Conversely, the electricity from the nano-hydro generator is proportional to the flow rate of water. 71.8 mV is observed at an average flow rate of 49.05 ml/s.

Automated summary

Most electricity is currently generated from polluting hydrocarbons, causing environmental damage and global warming. This leads to an increase in disasters like floods, tornadoes, and droughts, as well as sinking land and water scarcity in some areas. To address these issues, this paper proposes a rainwater harvesting system integrated with a triboelectric generator for electricity and drinking water purposes. Experimental results show that the triboelectricity generated from rainwater depends on the rate of falling droplets, the height from which they fall, and the coverage area of hydrophobic material. The electricity generated by the nano-hydro generator is proportional to the flow rate of water, with an observed voltage of 71.8 mV at an average flow rate of 49.05 ml/s.