Wood based solar evaporator could provide safe water

Developed and demonstrated by researchers at the University of Maryland's A. James Clark School of Engineering, the evaporator is said to generate steam with high efficiency and minimal need for maintenance.

The design employs interfacial evaporation, which Liangbing Hu, associate professor of materials science and engineering and affiliate of the Maryland Energy Innovation Institute, said shows great potential in response to global water scarcity because of its high solar-to-vapour efficiency, low environmental impact, and portable device design with low cost.

"These features make it suitable for off-grid water generation and purification, especially for low-income countries," said Hu.

Interfacial evaporators are made of thin materials that float on saline water. Absorbing solar heat on top, the evaporators continuously pull up the saline water from below and convert it to steam on their top surface, leaving behind the salt, said Hu, who is senior author on a paper describing the work in Advanced Materials.

Over time salt can build up on this evaporative surface, gradually degrading performance until it is removed, he said.