Xu, H., Liu, Y., Woon, P. Q., Chen, M., Xu, X., & Li, B. (2025). Laser-engineered rattan evaporators for scalable and sustainable solar desalination. Chemical Engineering Journal, 526, 170795. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2025.170795
Abstract:
Scalable and sustainable solar-driven interfacial evaporators are vital to addressing global freshwater scarcity and sustainability challenges. However, the applicability of biomass-based evaporators is often limited by costly and complex fabrication processes. Here, we report a high-performance rattan-based solar evaporator fabricated via a one-step laser-induced carbonization process. This direct approach creates a multi-dimensional hierarchical light-harvesting layer with a pronounced 3D periodic protrusion array, achieving a high solar absorptance of 88.32 %. This structure significantly enhances evaporation by increasing the effective evaporation area, promoting omnidirectional vapor escape and inducing dual Marangoni flows that facilitate liquid circulation and salt backflow. The evaporator achieves a high energy conversion efficiency of 95.32 % and water evaporation rate of 1.80 kg·m−2·h−1 in simulated seawater, with a significant reduction in evaporation latent heat to 1.62 MJ·kg−1, outperforming many previously reported carbon- or bio-based evaporators. Integrated into a closed-loop desalination-cultivation system, the generated freshwater supports wheat cultivation over an area 3 times larger than the evaporation surface, yielding plant growth comparable to tap water irrigation. Life cycle assessment reveals the rattan-based evaporator produces over two orders of magnitude lower CO2-equivalent emissions and substantially reduces overall environmental impacts compared to conventional solar evaporators. This work demonstrates a scalable and environmentally friendly strategy to transform natural biomass into high-performance sustainable solar evaporators, advancing decentralized water-food solutions under resource-constrained conditions.
License type:
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)
Funding Info:
This research / project is supported by the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) - RIE2025 Manufacturing, Trade and Connectivity (MTC) Investigator Research Grants (IRG)
Grant Reference no. : M24N7c0089