A novel low-temperature evaporation wastewater treatment apparatus based on hydrate adsorption

Abstract

Heavy metal pollution is an urgent challenge worldwide due to the acceleration of industrialization. While adsorption desalination is regarded as an innovative method for wastewater treatment, the current technologies have been impeded by high costs and intensive energy consumption. In this work, a novel low-temperature evaporation wastewater treatment apparatus based on hydrate adsorption was proposed. The water vapor from wastewater evaporation reacted with CO2 to form hydrate under the pressure of 3.3 MPa, constantly promoting wastewater evaporation due to the consumption of water vapor. The effect of feeding concentration on treatment effect was analyzed in terms of removal efficiency, water yield, and enrichment factor. Remarkably, a maximum removal efficiency of 97.4% can be achieved by treating an artificial solution with a Cu2+ concentration of 500 mg/L. Furthermore, compared with the control group that only depended on evaporation and condensation without forming hydrate, the maximum water yield of purified water in the experimental group increased to 310%. This innovative design concept for a low-temperature wastewater treatment apparatus based on hydrate adsorption presents a promising solution for the green and energy-efficient treatment of heavy metal wastewater.