Inspired by a rose, a team from the University of Texas at Austin developed a low-cost device that collects and purifies water efficiently. Each rose-like structure costs under two cents to produce and can filter more than half a gallon of water each hour, per square meter.
The device, created by a team led by associate professor Donglei (Emma) Fan, was designed as a solar steaming approach for water production—a technique that uses energy from the sun to separate salt and other impurities from the water via evaporation.
In a paper published in Advanced Materials, the authors highlight how an origami rose inspired them to develop a new solar-steaming system made from layered, black paper sheets shaped into flower petals. The 3D rose shape – attached to a stem-like tube that collects untreated water from any water source – makes it easier for the structure to collect and retain more liquid.
Solar-steaming technologies are usually bulky, expensive, and produce limited results. However, the team’s method uses inexpensive materials that are lightweight and portable. The device is described as a portable, low-pressure controlled solar-steaming-collection “uni system.”
Fan explained:
We were searching for more efficient ways to apply the solar-steaming technique for water production by using black filtered paper coated with a special type of polymer, known as polypyrrole.
Polypyrrole, known for its photothermal properties, is particularly good at harnessing solar light, then converting it into thermal heat. The produced heat could then be served in various applications, including photo imaging, phototherapy, and clean water production.
Fan and her colleagues experimented with several ways to shape the paper to see what form was best for achieving maximum water retention levels. They placed single, round layers of the coated paper flat on the floor under direct sunlight in one test. These single sheets showed promise as water collectors but not in adequate amounts.
After testing various shapes, Fan found the rose to be ideal. Its structure enabled more direct sun rays to hit the photothermic material—with more internal reflections—versus other floral shapes. In addition, it also provided an enlarged surface area for water vapor to dissipate from the material.
Water is collected via the stem-like tube or from above, feeding it to the rose-shaped structure. That water then moves toward the polypyrrole-coated petals, where the material turns the water into steam, naturally separating Impurities from the water.
Weigu Li, the paper’s lead author, said:
We designed the purification-collection uni system to include a connection point for a low-pressure pump to help condense the water more effectively. Once it is condensed, the glass jar is designed to be compact, sturdy, and secure for storing clean water.
This unique device removes any contamination from bacteria and heavy metals and removes salt from seawater, producing freshwater that meets drinking standards set by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Li added:
Our rational design and low-cost fabrication of 3D origami photothermal materials represent a first-of-its-kind portable low-pressure solar-steaming-collection system. This could inspire new paradigms of solar-steaming technologies in clean water production for individuals and homes.
Without water, we die. It should be a fundamental right to have safe water, yet billions of people do not have it. The United Nations has put this issue as a top priority. According to WHO, over 2.5 billion people lack access to safely managed, clean drinking water that can be collected in a round trip of 30 minutes.
The main reasons for water insecurity include:
- Population growth and the depletion of groundwater supplies.
- Waste through farming irrigation, the production of energy, and other water-hungry industries.
- Contaminated water and poor sanitation (affecting almost 1 billion people). The WHO estimates that contaminated drinking water causes 502,000 deaths a year from diarrhea alone.
However, some innovative water tech solutions have sprung up worldwide to solve the water shortage and contamination problem for a better future. These technologies include solar-powered water filtration, the Water Filter Book, the LifeStraw, fog catchers, desalination – water from the sea, and moisture from air – Zero Mass Water.
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September 08, 2021 at 12:35AM
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Origami Rose-Inspired Device Collects And Purifies Water Efficiently – Intelligent Living - Intelligent Living
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