A solar-driven device based on hydrogel composite sorbent for efficient atmospheric water harvesting in arid regions

Longkun Zhou, Zhipeng Luo, Shuai Du, Wenjun Ying and Jiayun Wang

Energy, 2025, vol. 335, issue C

Abstract: Water scarcity poses a critical global challenge, particularly in arid and off-grid inland regions. Solar-driven atmospheric water harvesting (SAWH) offers a promising solution to freshwater shortages; however, existing systems are hindered by two key limitations: suboptimal material adsorption/desorption performance and inefficient thermal management in device design. To address these challenges, this study presents a hydrogel composite-based SAWH device featuring an optimized thermal insulation structure. The composite sorbent, rGO@Cur-LiCl—synthesized by integrating reduced graphene oxide (rGO) with lithium chloride (LiCl) and bio-derived curdlan (Cur)—exhibits exceptional adsorption-desorption kinetics and high water uptake capacities of 1.74 and 3.01 g g−1 at 30 % and 60 % relative humidity (RH), respectively. The designed passive SAWH device incorporates a dual-chamber thermal insulation configuration, a dual-layer acrylic radiative-convective barrier, and a modular adsorbent bed, enabling two full daily cycles. Under one-sun irradiation at 30 °C and 30 % RH, the system achieves a remarkable water yield of 2.33 L m−2 day−1, outperforming state-of-the-art counterparts by 2–5 times. This work advances a sustainable strategy for decentralized freshwater production in water-scarce regions.

Keywords: Hygroscopic hydrogel; Adsorption; Desorption; Atmospheric water harvesting; Solar-driven device (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:energy:v:335:y:2025:i:c:s0360544225036758

DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2025.138033

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