Porous wood-carbonized solar steam evaporator

Solar energy used to evaporate seawater and purify fresh water is regarded as an innovative way to address water scarcity. In this paper, high-performance porous wood-carbonized solar steam evaporation (SSE) is proposed by regulating the surface carbonization process, and the evaporation performance of the SSE under different carbonization degrees is studied. The results show that the variation in carbonization degree treatment can significantly affect the photothermal conversion characteristics, which in turn affect the evaporation efficiency of solar steam evaporation. Surprisingly, at 1 sun equivalent input, this evaporator exhibits a low thermal conductivity (0.17 W m−1 K−1), high solar energy absorption rate (92.5%), high surface temperature (49.5 °C) and evaporation efficiency (78%). When the surface carbonization degree of the SSE is 20%, an excellent thermal conductivity coefficient (0.33 W m−1 K−1) is available by the efficient water conduction ability. Additionally, an outstanding evaporation rate (1.8 kg m−2 h−1) of the SSE can be obtained, which is significantly superior to that of the reported wood-based evaporators. Due to its simple preparation, wood-based SSE with recyclability, low-cost and extraordinary performance can be expected to provide potential fresh water for commercial and renewable applications.