Kwon Yongbum, Bui-Vinh Dai, Lee Seung-Hwan, Baek So Hyun, Lee Hyun-Woo, Yun Jeungjai, Cho Inhee, Lee Jeonghoon, Lee Mi Hye, Lee Handol, Jeong Da-Woon
Korea National Institute of Rare Metals, Korea Institute of Industrial Technology, Incheon 21655, Republic of Korea.
Department of Environmental Engineering, Inha University, Incheon 22212, Republic of Korea.
Polymers (Basel). 2024 Sep 4;16(17):2515. doi: 10.3390/polym16172515.
The widespread use of single-use face masks during the recent epidemic has led to significant environmental challenges due to waste pollution. This study explores an innovative approach to address this issue by repurposing discarded face masks for hydrovoltaic energy harvesting. By coating the face masks with carbon black (CB) to enhance their hydrophilic properties, we developed mask-based hydrovoltaic power generators (MHPGs). These MHPGs were evaluated for their hydrovoltaic performance, revealing that different mask configurations and sizes affect their efficiency. The study found that MHPGs with smaller, more structured areas exhibited better energy output, with maximum open-circuit voltages () reaching up to 0.39 V and short-circuit currents () up to 65.6 μA. The integration of CB improved water absorption and transport, enhancing the hydrovoltaic performance. More specifically, MHPG-1 to MHPG-4, which represented different sizes and features, presented mean values of 0.32, 0.17, 0.19 and 0.05 V, as well as mean values of 16.57, 15.59, 47.43 and 3.02 μA, respectively. The findings highlight the feasibility of utilizing discarded masks in energy harvesting systems, offering both environmental benefits and a novel method for renewable energy generation. Therefore, this work provides a new paradigm for waste-to-energy (WTE) technologies and inspires further research into the use of unconventional waste materials for energy production.
在近期疫情期间，一次性口罩的广泛使用因废物污染导致了重大的环境挑战。本研究探索了一种创新方法来解决这一问题，即将废弃口罩重新用于水力发电能量收集。通过用炭黑（CB）涂覆口罩以增强其亲水性，我们开发了基于口罩的水力发电发电机（MHPGs）。对这些MHPGs的水力发电性能进行了评估，结果表明不同的口罩配置和尺寸会影响其效率。研究发现，具有较小、结构更规整区域的MHPGs表现出更好的能量输出，最大开路电压（）可达0.39 V，短路电流（）可达65.6 μA。CB的整合改善了水的吸收和传输，提高了水力发电性能。更具体地说，代表不同尺寸和特征的MHPG - 1至MHPG - 4的平均 值分别为0.32、0.17、0.19和0.05 V，平均 值分别为16.57、15.59、47.43和3.02 μA。这些发现突出了在能量收集系统中利用废弃口罩的可行性，既带来了环境效益，又提供了一种可再生能源发电的新方法。因此，这项工作为废物转化能源（WTE）技术提供了一种新范式，并激发了对使用非常规废料进行能源生产的进一步研究。
