Efficient Solar-Driven Water Purification Based on Biochar with Multi-Level Pore Bundle Structure for Preparation of Drinking Water

Abstract

Water is an important source for humankind. However, the amount of available clean water has rapidly reduced worldwide. To combat this issue, the solar-energy-driven evaporation technique is newly proposed to produce clean water. Here, biochar derived from sorghum stalk with a multi-level pore bundle structure is utilized to fabricate a solar-driven evaporator for the first time. The biochar displays rapid water transfer and low thermal conductivity (ca. 0.0405 W m−1 K−1), which is vitally important for such an application purpose. The evaporation rate and energy conversion efficiency of the solar evaporator based on carbonized sorghum stalk can achieve up to 3.173 kg m−2 h−1 and 100%, respectively, which are better than most of the previously reported biomass materials. Furthermore, the carbonized sorghum stalk also displays good resistance to salt crystallization, anti-acidic/basic, and organic pollutants by producing drinking water using seawater, acidic/basic waste water, and organic polluted water, respectively. The direct application of processed water in food production was also investigated. The present solar steam evaporator based on the carbonized sorghum stalk has the potential to create practical drinking water production by using various water sources.