Investigation performance of adsorption system for desalination and power generation using superior adsorbent materials

Adsorption technology can offer a solution for secure power and freshwater resources by generating potable water and electricity simultaneously. The present study highlights the feasibility of using adsorption technology in generating drinkable water and electricity concurrently utilising thermal sources. Modern adsorbents with super water uptake like MIL101 Cr can generate a large amount of potable water with electric power utilising thermal energy like solar thermal energy. Experimentally, MIL101 Cr outperforms the other studied adsorbents in terms of adsorption/desorption performance because it has a maximum adsorption uptake of approximately 1.47 kg/kgads and high adsorption kinetics. A two-bed adsorption cycle is used to produce potable water and electric power while using low-to-medium-grade heat sources. Potable water is generated in the condenser, while the electricity is generated from an expander located between the condenser and the hot bed. According to numerical findings from the MATLAB Simulink modeling, the proposed system has the ability to generate a specific daily water production (SDWP) of about 60 l/kgads/day and a specific power (SP) of around 280 W/ kgads, which are both considered to be promising results. Also, maximum performance ratio (PR) and overall conversion ratio (OCR) of 76% and 82% can be achieved, respectively, by utilizing MIL101 Cr at a heating source temperature of 140 degrees C. MIL101 Cr shows the greatest performance in terms of SDWP, SP, PR and OCR. Numerical results also showed that SDWP and SP produced from the proposed system increase with increasing heat source temperature for all the materials tested in this investigation.

Automated summary

Adsorption technology can generate drinkable water and electricity simultaneously by utilizing thermal energy, such as solar thermal energy. The use of modern adsorbents with high water uptake, like MIL101 Cr, can produce a large amount of potable water and electric power. The study demonstrates the feasibility of a two-bed adsorption cycle for this purpose, with MIL101 Cr exhibiting the best performance in terms of adsorption/desorption and overall efficiency.