Zhang Xueping, Yang Jiachen, Qu Hao, Yu Zhi Gen, Nandakumar Dilip Krishna, Zhang Yaoxin, Tan Swee Ching
Department of Materials Science and Engineering National University of Singapore Singapore 117574 Singapore.
Institute of High Performance Computing Singapore 138632 Singapore.
Adv Sci (Weinh). 2021 Feb 1;8(6):2003939. doi: 10.1002/advs.202003939. eCollection 2021 Mar.
High levels of humidity can induce thermal discomfort and consequent health disorders. However, proper utilization of this astounding resource as a freshwater source can aid in alleviating water scarcity. Herein, a low-energy and highly efficient humidity control system is reported comprising of an in-house developed desiccant dehumidifier and hygrometer (sensor), with an autonomous operation capability that can realize simultaneous dehumidification and freshwater production. The high efficiency and energy saving mainly come from the deployed super hygroscopic complex (SHC), which exhibits high water uptake (4.64 g g) and facile regeneration. Machine-learning-assisted in-house developed low cost and high precision hygrometers enable the autonomous operation of the humidity management system. The dehumidifier can reduce the relative humidity (RH) of a confined room from 75% to 60% in 15 minutes with energy consumption of 0.05 kWh, saving more than 60% of energy compared with the commercial desiccant dehumidifiers, and harvest 10 L of atmospheric water in 24 h. Moreover, the reduction in RH from 80% to 60% at 32 °C results in the reduction of apparent temperature by about 7 °C, thus effectively improving the thermal comfort of the inhabitants.
高湿度会引发热不适及随之而来的健康问题。然而，将这一惊人资源合理用作淡水源有助于缓解水资源短缺。在此，报道了一种低能耗且高效的湿度控制系统，它由内部研发的除湿器和湿度计（传感器）组成，具备自主运行能力，可实现同步除湿和淡水生产。高效节能主要源于所采用的超级吸湿复合物（SHC），其具有高吸水量（4.64 g/g）且易于再生。机器学习辅助的内部研发的低成本高精度湿度计实现了湿度管理系统的自主运行。该除湿器能在15分钟内将密闭房间的相对湿度（RH）从75%降至60%，能耗为0.05千瓦时，与商用除湿器相比节能超60%，并在24小时内收集10升大气水。此外，在32°C时将RH从80%降至60%可使体感温度降低约7°C，从而有效提高居住者的热舒适度。
