The watermaker evaporates and collects the purified water directly in the open sea

It’s a cruel irony that the Earth’s surface is covered with water, but the vast majority of it is undrinkable. If

Scientists have found a way to remove the salt, compounds and bacteria that make water undrinkable, humanity would be freed from one of its fundamental problems.

One of the simplest ways to doThis is to use the basic physics of evaporation and re-condensation of water. Researchers at Dalian Maritime University in China have developed a new desalination plant that can float on the surface of seawater, effectively absorb solar energy and use that heat to evaporate water.

The block itself consists of three layers:the main part is polyethylene foam, which helps it float and acts as a heat insulator. The outside of the foam is wrapped in special paper - an absorbent material used in disposable diapers. It drains water upward to the surface. The top surface is coated with titanium nitride oxide (TiNO).

In the field of solar energy, TiNO is a commona commercial coating that absorbs the sun's rays. It is widely used in solar hot water systems and photovoltaic installations. Titanium nitride oxide has a high solar absorption and low thermal emissivity. This means that it efficiently converts solar energy into thermal energy.

Desalination plant diagram. Photo: Chao Chang

This block is then placed in the solardistiller - a transparent plastic container with a slanted lid that captures condensing fresh water and directs it to a “collection point.” During testing, the team found that the new solar cell had a 46% efficiency in converting solar energy into water. In general, from 30 to 40% is expected from single installations of this type.

It is important to note that the device avoidsone major mistake is contamination due to the accumulation of salts on the surface. Over time, this reduces its effectiveness. During testing, the team found that no salt layer had formed. This indicates that special pores on the block's coating drain the salt and dump it back into the seawater. Another benefit, according to the team, is that the paper material can be reused more than 30 times.

Scientists note the low cost and high efficiency of the development.

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