On planet Earth, two-thirds of the world’s population do not have guaranteed access to clean drinking water. In addition, much of it lives in arid areas where the liquid element is very scarce.
Scientists from Saudi Arabia have developed a new method to generate electricity that, in addition, is capable of collecting water with the help of only two more elements: a layer of hydrogel and airfrom which the moisture is extracted, which subsequently passes into a liquid state.
It is actually a very simple process, because the system WEC2P, as it has been called, consists of a photovoltaic solar panel placed on a layer of hydrogel. The intervention of the hydrogel is vital, as this material is capable of effectively absorbing water vapor from the air.
When this is heated with waste heat from solar panels that generate electricity, moisture condensation occurs present in the environment, which falls into a large metal container. This is responsible for collecting condensed water, which can later be used for multiple applications.
The results of the experiment
The successful test, described in the magazine Cell Reports Physical Sciencewas carried out for two weeks in June in Saudi Arabia, a period during which enough water was collected to grow a plantation of 60 spinach seeds.
To do this, a solar panel the size of a school desk board was used, which generated a total of 1519 Wh of electricity and two liters of water. In addition, the hydrogel increased the efficiency of the solar panel by 9% by absorbing heat and reducing the temperature of the panels.
A cheap and sustainable solution
“A fraction of the world’s population still does not have access to clean water or green energy, and many of them live in rural areas with arid or semi-arid climates,” said study lead author Peng Wang, a professor of environmental science and engineering at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST).
“Our design makes water from air using clean energy that would have been wasted and it is suitable for small-scale decentralized farms in remote places like deserts and oceanic islands,” he adds.
“Our goal is to create an integrated system of clean energy, water and food productionespecially the water creation part of our design, which differentiates us from today’s agrophotovoltaics,” says Wang.
“Ensuring that everyone on Earth has access to clean water and affordable clean energy is part of the Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations,” says Wang. “I hope our design can be a decentralized power and water system to light homes and irrigate crops”.
To turn the proof-of-concept design into a real product, the team plans to create a better hydrogel that can absorb more water from the air. In addition, an increase in the size of the useful surface of all the elements would lead to a notable increase in the production of electricity and water.
Source: Cell.com