Author:
Dongare Pratiksha D.,Alabastri Alessandro,Pedersen Seth,Zodrow Katherine R.,Hogan Nathaniel J.,Neumann Oara,Wu Jinjian,Wang Tianxiao,Deshmukh Akshay,Elimelech Menachem,Li Qilin,Nordlander Peter,Halas Naomi J.
Abstract
With more than a billion people lacking accessible drinking water, there is a critical need to convert nonpotable sources such as seawater to water suitable for human use. However, energy requirements of desalination plants account for half their operating costs, so alternative, lower energy approaches are equally critical. Membrane distillation (MD) has shown potential due to its low operating temperature and pressure requirements, but the requirement of heating the input water makes it energy intensive. Here, we demonstrate nanophotonics-enabled solar membrane distillation (NESMD), where highly localized photothermal heating induced by solar illumination alone drives the distillation process, entirely eliminating the requirement of heating the input water. Unlike MD, NESMD can be scaled to larger systems and shows increased efficiencies with decreased input flow velocities. Along with its increased efficiency at higher ambient temperatures, these properties all point to NESMD as a promising solution for household- or community-scale desalination.
Funder
National Science Foundation
DOD | Air Force Office of Scientific Research
Welch Foundation
J. Evans-Atwell Welch Fellowship
Publisher
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences