Xu, H., Wang, S., Chen, M., Xu, X., & Li, B. (2026). Scalable bamboo-waste solar evaporators for low-cost and sustainable desalination. Composites Part B: Engineering, 312, 113300. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compositesb.2025.113300
Abstract:
Global freshwater scarcity demands sustainable water purification solutions. While solar-driven evaporation is promising for decentralized clean water, its deployment is hindered by high cost, poor durability and limited scalability. Herein, we upcycle bamboo waste into a durable, low-cost, meter-scale solar evaporator by in-situ forming continuous graphene films via a catalytically enabled laser graphitization (C-LG) under ambient conditions, significantly simplifying the fabrication requirements and overcoming photothermal limits of bio-based evaporators. Leveraging bamboo’s natural hollow architecture and an innovative Hollow_alternate configuration, the lab-scale evaporator achieves an enhanced vapor convection with eliminated vapor "dead zones" and efficient solution diffusion to prevent salt accumulation, thereby outperforming the previously reported bio-based evaporators and demonstrating stable water production for over 180 days in high-salinity East China Sea. For large-scale deployment, meter-scale modules are integrated into a solar-powered desalination-cultivation platform, supporting full-cycle cultivation of tuber, legume and grain crops with record techno-economic performance exceeding 3000 g h-1⋅$-1. Life cycle assessment further reveals over a 100-fold reduction in CO2-equivalent emissions compared to conventional desalination systems. This nature-inspired, field-deployable evaporator establishes a low-cost, low-carbon solar-water-food nexus, directly advancing global goals for climate resilience and sustainable development.
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) Individual Research Grants (IRG)
Grant Reference no. : M24N7c0089