Zhu Yunxia, Yang Zhi, Li Dawei, Yang Kaijie, Chen Baoliang
Department of Environmental Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, PR China; National Key Laboratory of Soil Pollution Control and Safety, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, PR China.
Innovation Center of Yangtze River Delta, Zhejiang University, Zhejiang 311400, PR China.
Water Res. 2025 Nov 1;286:124206. doi: 10.1016/j.watres.2025.124206. Epub 2025 Jul 11.
Interfacial solar evaporation with directional salt crystallization offers a sustainable approach for the mineral recovery. However, its application to real industrial wastewater is hindered by co-precipitate of organic pollutants, leading to crystal contamination. In this study, we present a rationally designed solar evaporator featuring dual functionality of directional crystallization and organic contaminants adsorption. The innovation lies in the coupling of an inclined evaporation surface with multilayer functional structures: a top hydrophobic layer for efficient solar energy harvesting, a middle hydrophilic layer for organic contaminants interception and bottom water transport layers for controlled water delivery. By tuning the inclination angle and water transport layers to regulate the mass transport, the evaporator achieves directional salt crystallization and maintains a stable evaporation rate of 1.42 kg m⁻² h⁻¹ during long-term evaluation. Moreover, the integrated adsorption layer effectively retained organic pollutions and purified the crystal. Compared to salts obtained through conventional thermal crystallization, the organic pollution content of the recovered crystals was reduced by 60.4 %. The system's scalability and outdoor applicability were further validated through a scaled-up rooftop test. This integrated interfacial evaporation strategy offers a new avenue for refined crystal recovery and advanced industrial wastewater treatment beyond the capabilities of conventional evaporators.
具有定向盐结晶功能的界面太阳能蒸发为矿物回收提供了一种可持续的方法。然而，其在实际工业废水中的应用受到有机污染物共沉淀的阻碍，导致晶体污染。在本研究中，我们展示了一种经过合理设计的太阳能蒸发器，它具有定向结晶和有机污染物吸附的双重功能。创新之处在于将倾斜的蒸发表面与多层功能结构相结合：顶部疏水层用于高效收集太阳能，中间亲水层用于拦截有机污染物，底部输水层用于控制水的输送。通过调整倾斜角度和输水层来调节传质，该蒸发器实现了定向盐结晶，并在长期评估中保持了1.42 kg m⁻² h⁻¹ 的稳定蒸发速率。此外，集成吸附层有效保留了有机污染物并净化了晶体。与通过传统热结晶获得的盐相比，回收晶体的有机污染含量降低了60.4%。通过放大的屋顶测试进一步验证了该系统的可扩展性和户外适用性。这种集成界面蒸发策略为精制晶体回收和先进的工业废水处理提供了一条新途径，超越了传统蒸发器的能力。
