Janus Biopolymer Sponge with Porous Structure Based on Water Hyacinth Petiole for Efficient Solar Steam Generation

Solar-driven steam generation for desalination is a facile, sustainable, and energy-saving approach to produce clean freshwater. However, the complicated fabrication process, high cost, potential environmental impact, and salt crystallization of conventional evaporators limit their large-scale application. Herein, we present a sustainable Janus evaporator based on a biopolymer sponge from the water hyacinth petiole (WHP) for high-performance solar steam generation. The freeze-dried WHP maintained its original porous structure and aligned channels well, and therefore holds the capability for rapid water transport due to strong capillary action. The WHP coated with carbon nanotubes/ethyl cellulose paste on its surface (WHP-C) gains a good photothermal property, thus achieving an efficient solar steam generation with a rate of 1.50 kg m(-2) h(-1) under 1 sun irradiation. Moreover, the WHP-C after hydrophobic modification by fluorocarbon (WHP-CH) is endowed with high water repellency and exhibits good salt resistance during long-term solar desalination. Additionally, we demonstrate that a stable wet surface that enables efficient water supply and vapor escape is also significant to the successive desalination of a solar evaporator. Our work provides new insights into the high-value utilization of biomass waste, i.e., water hyacinth, and the development of sustainable interfacial solar evaporators for the environmentally friendly production of freshwater.

Automated summary

This study presents a sustainable Janus evaporator based on water hyacinth petiole (WHP) sponge for efficient solar steam generation. The WHP maintains its porous structure and has good water transport capability, and the WHP coated with carbon nanotubes/ethyl cellulose paste gains a good photothermal property. After hydrophobic modification, it exhibits high water repellency and good salt resistance.