Dataset Information

Low-Cost and High-Efficiency Solar-Driven Vapor Generation Using a 3D Dyed Cotton Towel.

ABSTRACT: Solar-driven vapor generation is a promising method to mitigate freshwater shortage and water contamination. However, most of the current highly efficient solar evaporators suffer from low robustness, tedious preparation procedures, and high cost. In this study, an easy-to-manufacture, low-cost, and high-reliability solar-driven evaporator is designed using a black cotton towel with a hollow conical shape. The reactive dye molecules diffuse into the cotton and form strong covalent bonds with the fiber after dyeing, which firmly fixes light-absorbing materials on the substrate. The looped pile structure of towels and hierarchical structure of yarns enable the evaporator enlarged surface area. The hollow conical shape of the cotton towel can effectively suppress the heat loss to the environment without compromising light absorption. The 3D vapor generator exhibits an evaporation rate of 1.40 and 1.27 kg m^-2 h^-1 for pure water and saline water, respectively. Meanwhile, this towel-based solar-driven evaporator exhibits a promising antifouling property as well as superior reusability and provides a reliable pathway in dealing with realistic waters, such as seawater and dyeing sewage. Therefore, the low-cost, solar-driven water evaporation system offers a complementary approach for high-efficiency vapor generation and water purification in practical application.

SUBMITTER: Yang Y

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6733398 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Low-Cost and High-Efficiency Solar-Driven Vapor Generation Using a 3D Dyed Cotton Towel.

Yang Yudi Y Sui Yujin Y Cai Zaisheng Z Xu Bi B

Global challenges (Hoboken, NJ) 20190522 9

Solar-driven vapor generation is a promising method to mitigate freshwater shortage and water contamination. However, most of the current highly efficient solar evaporators suffer from low robustness, tedious preparation procedures, and high cost. In this study, an easy-to-manufacture, low-cost, and high-reliability solar-driven evaporator is designed using a black cotton towel with a hollow conical shape. The reactive dye molecules diffuse into the cotton and form strong covalent bonds with the ...[more]

PMID: 31565396

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Project description:The urgent demand for scalable, potent, color variable, and comfortable antimicrobial textiles as personal protection equipment (PPE) to help reduce infection transmission in hospitals and healthcare facilities has significantly increased since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Here, we explored photodynamic antimicrobial polyethylene terephthalate/cotton (TC) blended fabrics comprised of photosensitizer-conjugated cotton fibers and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fibers dyed with disperse dyes. A small library of TC blended fabrics was constructed wherein the PET fibers were embedded with traditional disperse dyes dominating the fabric color, thereby enabling variable color expression, while the cotton fibers were covalently coupled with the photosensitizer thionine acetate as the microbicidal agent. Physical (SEM, CLSM, TGA, XPS and mechanical strength) and colorimetric (K/S and CIELab values) characterization methods were employed to investigate the resultant fabrics, and photooxidation studies with DPBF demonstrated the ability of these materials to generate reactive oxygen species (i.e., singlet oxygen) upon visible light illumination. The best results demonstrated a photodynamic inactivation of 99.985% (~ 3.82 log unit reduction, P = 0.0021) against Gram-positive S. aureus, and detection limit inactivation (99.99%, 4 log unit reduction, P ≤ 0.0001) against Gram-negative E. coli upon illumination with visible light (60 min; ~ 300 mW/cm2; λ ≥ 420 nm). Enveloped human coronavirus 229E showed a photodynamic susceptibility of ~ 99.99% inactivation after 60 min illumination (400-700 nm, 65 ± 5 mW/cm2). The presence of the disperse dyes on the fabrics showed no significant effects on the aPDI results, and furthermore, appeared to provide the photosensitizer with some measure of protection from photobleaching, thus improving the photostability of the dual-dyed fabrics. Taken together, these results suggest the feasibility of low cost, scalable and color variable thionine-conjugated TC blended fabrics as potent self-disinfecting textiles.

Project description:BackgroundChallenges must be handled in an integrated manner when addressing food security and climate change. More efficient designs for food production systems, as well as their logistics, are needed in order to increase food production and to reduce emissions intensity. Specifically, any enhancements done on this purpose would contribute to mitigating climate change. Five important dimensions are being considered in smart agriculture: food security, availability, accessibility, utilization, and stability.Scope and approachFood supply-demand chain can seriously be effected by uncontrolled population growth. Thus, any perspective to solve these uncontrolled conditions can have a positive impact. Especially giving emphasis on reduction of food losses via expoloring various ways of production, or increasing productivity, or ensuring food security are effective ways for solutions. For example, the use of solar drying for agricultural, marine or meat products is very important for preservation, thus minimizing food losses. However, traditional sun drying is a relatively slow process. Also, the product quality worsens due to several factors: microorganism growth, enzymatic reactions, insect infestations. It is known that utilizing solar energy involves several factors that need attention. Thus, a lot of effort is directed toward improving solar energy technology for drying processes.Key findings and conclusionThis study presents a smart agriculture design for drying using low cost and highly-efficient solar selective absorber. The system is based on an air heating flat plate solar absorber. Levelized cost of heat (LCOH) for the prototype using solar renewable energy is calculated and compared with the fossil fuel energy sources; natural gas, electricity, and liquified petroleum gas (LPG). In addition; a comparison of the costs for air collectors using various selective absorbers; unglazed or glazed, is presented. It is shown that solar energy, in the long run, will be more advantageous compared to fossil fuels.

Dataset Information

Low-Cost and High-Efficiency Solar-Driven Vapor Generation Using a 3D Dyed Cotton Towel.

Publications

Low-Cost and High-Efficiency Solar-Driven Vapor Generation Using a 3D Dyed Cotton Towel.

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