1
|
Yamada Y, Oka J, Isobe K, Horibe A. Effect of Droplet-Removal Processes on Fog-Harvesting Performance on Wettability-Controlled Wire Array with Staggered Arrangement. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2024. [PMID: 39078231 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.4c01942] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/31/2024]
Abstract
Development of freshwater resources is vital to overcoming severe worldwide water scarcity. Fog harvesting has attracted attention as a candidate technology that can be used to obtain fresh water from a stream of foggy air without energy input. Drainage of captured droplets from fog harvesters is necessary to maintain the permeability of harp-shaped harvesters. In the present study, we investigated the effect of the droplet-removal process on the amount of water harvested using a harvester constructed by wettability-controlled wires with an alternating and staggered arrangement. Droplet transfer from hydrophobic to hydrophilic wires, located upstream and downstream of the fog flow, respectively, was observed with a fog velocity greater than 1.5 m/s. The proportion of harvesting resulting from droplet transfer exceeded 30% of the total, and it reflected more than 20% increase of the harvesting performance compared with that of a harvester with wires of the same wettability: this value varied with the adhesive property of the wires and fog velocity. Scaled-up and multilayered harvesters were developed to enhance harvesting performance. We demonstrated certain enhancements under multilayered conditions and obtained 15.99 g/30 min as the maximum harvested amount, which corresponds to 13.3% of the liquid contained in the fog stream and is enhanced by 10% compared with that without droplet transfer.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yutaka Yamada
- Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University, 3-1-1 Tsushima-naka Kita-ku, Okayama 700-8530, Japan
| | - Junya Oka
- Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University, 3-1-1 Tsushima-naka Kita-ku, Okayama 700-8530, Japan
| | - Kazuma Isobe
- Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University, 3-1-1 Tsushima-naka Kita-ku, Okayama 700-8530, Japan
| | - Akihiko Horibe
- Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University, 3-1-1 Tsushima-naka Kita-ku, Okayama 700-8530, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Hidalgo-Ogalde B, Pinto-Ramos D, Clerc MG, Tlidi M. Nonreciprocal feedback induces migrating oblique and horizontal banded vegetation patterns in hyperarid landscapes. Sci Rep 2024; 14:14635. [PMID: 38918448 PMCID: PMC11199605 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-63820-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2024] [Accepted: 06/03/2024] [Indexed: 06/27/2024] Open
Abstract
In hyperarid environments, vegetation is highly fragmented, with plant populations exhibiting non-random biphasic structures where regions of high biomass density are separated by bare soil. In the Atacama Desert of northern Chile, rainfall is virtually nonexistent, but fog pushed in from the interior sustains patches of vegetation in a barren environment. Tillandsia landbeckii, a plant with no functional roots, survives entirely on fog corridors as a water source. Their origin is attributed to interaction feedback among the ecosystem agents, which have different spatial scales, ultimately generating banded patterns as a self-organising response to resource scarcity. The interaction feedback between the plants can be nonreciprocal due to the fact that the fog flows in a well-defined direction. Using remote sensing analysis and mathematical modelling, we characterise the orientation angle of banded vegetation patterns with respect to fog direction and topographic slope gradient. We show that banded vegetation patterns can be either oblique or horizontal to the fog flow rather than topography. The initial and boundary conditions determine the type of the pattern. The bifurcation diagram for both patterns is established. The theoretical predictions are in agreement with observations from remote sensing image analysis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Belén Hidalgo-Ogalde
- Departamento de Física and Millennium Institute for Research in Optics, FCFM, Universidad de Chile, Casilla 487-3, Santiago, Chile.
| | - David Pinto-Ramos
- Departamento de Física and Millennium Institute for Research in Optics, FCFM, Universidad de Chile, Casilla 487-3, Santiago, Chile
- Center for Advanced Systems Understanding (CASUS), Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), Görlitz, Germany
| | - Marcel G Clerc
- Departamento de Física and Millennium Institute for Research in Optics, FCFM, Universidad de Chile, Casilla 487-3, Santiago, Chile
| | - Mustapha Tlidi
- Département de Physique, Faculté des Sciences, Université Libre de Bruxelles (U.L.B), CP 231, Campus Plaine, 1050, Brussels, Belgium
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Mukhopadhyay A, Datta A, Dutta PS, Datta A, Ganguly R. Droplet Morphology-Based Wettability Tuning and Design of Fog Harvesting Mesh to Minimize Mesh-Clogging. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2024; 40:8094-8107. [PMID: 38567885 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.4c00075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/17/2024]
Abstract
Fog harvesting relies on intercepting atmospheric or industrial fog by placing a porous obstacle, for example, a mesh and collecting the deposited water. In the face of global water scarcity, such fog harvesting has emerged as a viable alternative source of potable water. Typical fog harvesting meshes suffer from poor collection efficiency due to aerodynamic bypassing of the oncoming fog stream and poor collection of the deposited water from the mesh. One pestering challenge in this context is the frequent clogging up of mesh pores by the deposited fog water, which not only yields low drainage efficiency but also generates high aerodynamic resistance to the oncoming fog stream, thereby negatively impacting the fog collection efficiency. Minimizing the clogging is possible by rendering the mesh fibers superhydrophobic, but that entails other detrimental effects like premature dripping and flow-induced re-entrainment of water droplets into the fog stream from the mesh fiber. Herein, we improvise on traditional interweaved metal mesh designs by defining critical parameters, viz., mesh pitch, shade coefficient, and fiber wettability, and deducing their optimal values from numerically and experimentally observed morphology of collected fog water droplets under various operating scenarios. We extend our investigations over a varying range of mesh-wettability, including superhydrophilic and hydrophobic fibers, and go on to find optimal shade coefficients which would theoretically render clog-proof fog harvesting meshes. The aerodynamic, deposition, and overall collection efficiencies are characterized. Hydrophobic meshes with square pores, having fiber diameters smaller than the capillary length scale of water, and an optimal shade coefficient are found to be the most effective design of such clog-proof meshes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Arani Mukhopadhyay
- Advanced Materials Research and Applications (AMRA) Laboratory Department of Power Engineering, Jadavpur University, Kolkata 700106, India
| | - Arkadeep Datta
- Advanced Materials Research and Applications (AMRA) Laboratory Department of Power Engineering, Jadavpur University, Kolkata 700106, India
| | - Partha Sarathi Dutta
- Advanced Materials Research and Applications (AMRA) Laboratory Department of Power Engineering, Jadavpur University, Kolkata 700106, India
| | - Amitava Datta
- Advanced Materials Research and Applications (AMRA) Laboratory Department of Power Engineering, Jadavpur University, Kolkata 700106, India
| | - Ranjan Ganguly
- Advanced Materials Research and Applications (AMRA) Laboratory Department of Power Engineering, Jadavpur University, Kolkata 700106, India
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Ahmad M, Nighojkar A, Plappally A. A review of the methods of harvesting atmospheric moisture. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2024; 31:10395-10416. [PMID: 37924399 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-30727-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2022] [Accepted: 10/24/2023] [Indexed: 11/06/2023]
Abstract
Moisture is an inherent constituent of air present across the world. The relative humidity varies with the change in temperature and climate specific to a region. In some regions of the world, there may be a relatively inadequate number of grains of moisture in the air in comparison with other regions. These factors widen the scope for the deployment of decentralized technology to capture water. The effectiveness in capturing moisture gains significance in these regions. Among the numerous forms of moisture, fog and dew are studied in depth. Over time, flora and fauna in different ecosystems have adapted to capture moisture as well as repel excesses of it according to their requirements. Therefore, bio-inspired studies and tailored engineering strategies have been incorporated in this review. Since efficient technologies are required at moisture-scarce locations, active moisture harvesting has also been studied. The use of innovative materials along with different energy sources to capture water is elaborated. The effects of climate change and environmental contamination on harvested moisture are therefore assessed. Community participation and economical use of harvested fog or dew influence the sustainability of moisture-capture projects. Therefore, this article also provides an insight into the services of decentralized water-harvesting projects run by diverse organizations and researchers across the globe.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Meraj Ahmad
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, 342037, India.
| | - Amrita Nighojkar
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, 342037, India
- Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Defence Institute of Advanced Technology, Pune, 411025, India
| | - Anand Plappally
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, 342037, India
- Centre for Emerging Technologies for Sustainable Development, Indian Institute of Technology, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, 342037, India
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Jiang Y, Liu G, Yan X. Ionic Wind Driven Fog Collection in Windless Environment. Ind Eng Chem Res 2022. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.iecr.2c03937] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Yuan Jiang
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Energy Chemical Process Intensification, Department of Chemical Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, Shaanxi 710049, China
| | - Guilian Liu
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Energy Chemical Process Intensification, Department of Chemical Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, Shaanxi 710049, China
| | - Xiaohong Yan
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Energy Chemical Process Intensification, Department of Chemical Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, Shaanxi 710049, China
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Nguyen LT, Bai Z, Zhu J, Gao C, Zhang B, Guo J. Elastic Textile Threads for Fog Harvesting. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2022; 38:9136-9147. [PMID: 35849073 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.2c00634] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The potential applications of textile materials in fog harvesting have long been demonstrated. This work designed novel fog harvesters according to the distinct features of elastic textile threads (ETTs) to enhance droplet capture, large-droplet growth, and droplet pouring and improve fog harvesting efficiency. We prepared m@ETTs (modified ETTs) using three novel chemical and physical methods. First, we prepared spandex elastic threads with a non-uniform rough surface containing silica nanoparticles and titanium particles through the sol-gel triethoxymethylsilane method. Second, we prepared a rubber/polyester thread with a rough surface by breaking the thread shell with toluene solution, creating knots on the surface of the rubber core. Third, we prepared a polyurethane thread with a bumpy superhydrophobic surface by spraying a tetrafluoroethylene adhesive and silica nanoparticles on the thread. Furthermore, we connected ETTs to an automatic stretching-recovery system to obtain auto-ETTs as another group of harvesters. We obtained auto-i@ETTs by introducing elastic bumps/knots onto the auto-ETT surface. The fog harvesting efficiencies of m@ETTs were approximately 60-120% greater than those of the ETTs. The water harvesting rate of the auto-i@ETT was 2.5 times that of the ETT, with the highest water harvesting rate of auto-i@ETT reaching 3.35 g/h/cm2. Moreover, several novel principles of droplet behavior and thread elasticity were revealed. The elastic elongation level of the ETTs was proportional to their water harvesting efficiency. The stretching-recovery state of the elastic thread did not influence the water contact angle but affected the droplet state on the thread surface. The temporary slack/stick state of adjacent elastic threads on auto-ETTs contributed to droplet convergence and pouring. Overall, this novel approach demonstrates the significant potential of elastic threads in fog harvesting applications.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Luc The Nguyen
- Key Laboratory of Textile Science and Technology, Ministry of Education, College of Textiles, Donghua University, 2999 North Remin Road, Shanghai 201620, China
| | - Zhiqing Bai
- Key Laboratory of Textile Science and Technology, Ministry of Education, College of Textiles, Donghua University, 2999 North Remin Road, Shanghai 201620, China
| | - Jingjing Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Textile Science and Technology, Ministry of Education, College of Textiles, Donghua University, 2999 North Remin Road, Shanghai 201620, China
| | - Can Gao
- Key Laboratory of Textile Science and Technology, Ministry of Education, College of Textiles, Donghua University, 2999 North Remin Road, Shanghai 201620, China
| | - Bin Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Textile Science and Technology, Ministry of Education, College of Textiles, Donghua University, 2999 North Remin Road, Shanghai 201620, China
| | - Jiansheng Guo
- Key Laboratory of Textile Science and Technology, Ministry of Education, College of Textiles, Donghua University, 2999 North Remin Road, Shanghai 201620, China
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Yue H, Zeng Q, Huang J, Guo Z, Liu W. Fog collection behavior of bionic surface and large fog collector: A review. Adv Colloid Interface Sci 2022; 300:102583. [PMID: 34954474 DOI: 10.1016/j.cis.2021.102583] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2021] [Revised: 12/11/2021] [Accepted: 12/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Water shortages are currently becoming more and more serious due to complicated factors such as the development of the economy, environmental pollution, and climate deterioration. And it is the best solution to the problems faced by people in today's world to investigate the bionic structure of nature and explore effective methods for fog collection. Herein, we've illustrated the bionic structures of the Namib desert beetle, cactus spines, and spider silk, and we imitate and further modify the respective bionic structures, as well as construct multifunctional bionic structures to improve fog collection. In addition, we also expound the fog collection behavior of a large fog collector, and an excellent fog capture effect was achieved through studying the mesh structure, the surface modification of the mesh, and the construction of the fog collector. The advantages and limitations of fog collection by a harp fog collector were also explored. We hope that through this review, relevant researchers can have a deeper understanding of this field and thus promote the development of fog collection.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hao Yue
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for the Green Preparation and Application of Functional Materials, Hubei University, Wuhan 430062, People's Republic of China; State Key Laboratory of Solid Lubrication, Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, People's Republic of China
| | - Qinghong Zeng
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for the Green Preparation and Application of Functional Materials, Hubei University, Wuhan 430062, People's Republic of China; State Key Laboratory of Solid Lubrication, Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, People's Republic of China
| | - Jinxia Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Solid Lubrication, Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, People's Republic of China.
| | - Zhiguang Guo
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for the Green Preparation and Application of Functional Materials, Hubei University, Wuhan 430062, People's Republic of China; State Key Laboratory of Solid Lubrication, Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, People's Republic of China.
| | - Weimin Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Solid Lubrication, Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, People's Republic of China
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Electrostatic fog collection mechanism and design of an electrostatic fog collector with nearly perfect fog collection efficiency. Chem Eng Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ces.2021.117034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
|
9
|
Kamtsikakis A, Weder C. Asymmetric Mass Transport through Dense Heterogeneous Polymer Membranes: Fundamental Principles, Lessons from Nature, and Artificial Systems. Macromol Rapid Commun 2021; 43:e2100654. [PMID: 34792266 DOI: 10.1002/marc.202100654] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2021] [Revised: 11/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Many organisms rely on directional water transport schemes for the purpose of water retention and collection. Directional transport of water and other fluids is also technologically relevant, for example to harvest water, in separation processes, packaging solutions, functional clothing, and many other applications. One strategy to promote mass transport along a preferential direction is to create compositionally asymmetric, multi-layered, or compositionally graded architectures. In recent years, the investigation of natural and artificial membranes based on this design has attracted growing interest and allowed researchers to develop a good understanding of how the properties of such membranes can be tailored to meet the demands of particular applications. Here a summary of theoretical works on mass transport through dense asymmetric membranes, comprehensive reviews of biological and artificial membranes featuring this design, and a discussion of applications, remaining questions, and opportunities are provided.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Aristotelis Kamtsikakis
- Adolphe Merkle Institute, University of Fribourg, Chemin des Verdiers 4, Fribourg, 1700, Switzerland
| | - Christoph Weder
- Adolphe Merkle Institute, University of Fribourg, Chemin des Verdiers 4, Fribourg, 1700, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Nguyen LT, Bai Z, Zhu J, Gao C, Liu X, Wagaye BT, Li J, Zhang B, Guo J. Three-Dimensional Multilayer Vertical Filament Meshes for Enhancing Efficiency in Fog Water Harvesting. ACS OMEGA 2021; 6:3910-3920. [PMID: 33585770 PMCID: PMC7876836 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.0c05776] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2020] [Accepted: 01/15/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Novel types of vertical filament mesh (VFM) fog harvesters, 3D VFM fog harvesters, and multilayer 3D VFM fog harvesters were developed by mimicking the water-harvesting nature of desert beetles and the spider silks from fog. Four different types of polymer filaments with different hydrophilic-hydrophobic properties were used. The polymer filaments were modified with the polyurethane-sodium alginate (PU-SA) mixture solution, and a simple spraying method was used to form alternating 3D PU-SA microbumps. Polymer VFMs exhibited a higher fog-harvesting efficiency than the vertical metal meshes. Moreover, the hydrophobic VFM was more efficient in fog harvesting than the hydrophilic VFM. Notably, the fog-harvesting efficiency of all VFMs increased by 30-80% after spraying with the mixed PU-SA solution to form a 3D geometric surface structure (3D PU-SA microbumps), which mimicked the desert beetle back surface. This modification caused the fog-harvesting efficiency of PTFE 3D VFM to be thrice higher than that of Fe VFM. This increase was attributed to the improved synergistic effects of fog capturing, droplet growing, and droplet shedding. The multilayer VFMs were more efficient in fog harvesting than the single-layer VFMs because of a larger droplet capture area. The fog-harvesting efficiency of two-layer and four-layer polymer VFMs was approximately 35% and about 45% higher than that of the single-layer polymer VFMs, respectively. The four-layer PTFE 3D VFM with the type B PU-SA bump surface (bump/PU-SA) had the highest efficiency of 287.6 mL/m2/h. Besides the high fog-harvesting efficiency, the proposed polymer VFMs are highly stable, cost-effective, rust-free, and easy to install in practical applications. These advantages are ascribed to the elasticity of the polymer filaments. This work provides new ideas and methods for developing high-performance fog harvesters such as the 3D VFM.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Luc The Nguyen
- Key
Laboratory of Textile Science and Technology, Ministry of Education,
College of Textiles, Donghua University, 2999 North Remin Road, Shanghai 201620, China
- Faculty
of Garment Technology and Fashion Design, Hung Yen University of Technology and Education, Hai Duong 170000, Vietnam
| | - Zhiqing Bai
- Key
Laboratory of Textile Science and Technology, Ministry of Education,
College of Textiles, Donghua University, 2999 North Remin Road, Shanghai 201620, China
| | - Jingjing Zhu
- Key
Laboratory of Textile Science and Technology, Ministry of Education,
College of Textiles, Donghua University, 2999 North Remin Road, Shanghai 201620, China
| | - Can Gao
- Key
Laboratory of Textile Science and Technology, Ministry of Education,
College of Textiles, Donghua University, 2999 North Remin Road, Shanghai 201620, China
| | - Xiaojing Liu
- Key
Laboratory of Textile Science and Technology, Ministry of Education,
College of Textiles, Donghua University, 2999 North Remin Road, Shanghai 201620, China
| | - Bewuket T. Wagaye
- Key
Laboratory of Textile Science and Technology, Ministry of Education,
College of Textiles, Donghua University, 2999 North Remin Road, Shanghai 201620, China
| | - Jiecong Li
- Key
Laboratory of Textile Science and Technology, Ministry of Education,
College of Textiles, Donghua University, 2999 North Remin Road, Shanghai 201620, China
| | - Bin Zhang
- Key
Laboratory of Textile Science and Technology, Ministry of Education,
College of Textiles, Donghua University, 2999 North Remin Road, Shanghai 201620, China
| | - Jiansheng Guo
- Key
Laboratory of Textile Science and Technology, Ministry of Education,
College of Textiles, Donghua University, 2999 North Remin Road, Shanghai 201620, China
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Li J, Li W, Han X, Wang L. Sandwiched nets for efficient direction-independent fog collection. J Colloid Interface Sci 2021; 581:545-551. [PMID: 32805671 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2020.07.153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2020] [Revised: 07/31/2020] [Accepted: 07/31/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
As an effective strategy to alleviate the global water shortage, the Janus membrane has been widely developed to harvest the fog droplets because of its advantages of timely drainage and directional droplet delivery. However, Janus membrane is extremely susceptible to the direction of the fog stream, which changes dynamically in nature. In this work, we develop a three-layer sandwiched fog collector consisting of a hydrophilic inner mesh and two superhydrophobic outer meshes, which always serves as a Janus collector to enable a stable and efficient fog collection independent of the direction of the mist stream. We also demonstrate the superiority of such sandwiched fog collector in terms of the droplet shedding size and onset time, as well as the directional droplet delivery. The droplet coalescence effectively facilitates the shedding of the attached droplets on the outer superhydrophobic mesh, and the directional delivery of the clogged droplets from the superhydrophobic to hydrophilic layer further dries the mesh surface for the successive interception of fog droplets. These mechanisms can work together seamlessly, which benefits the productive collection of the droplet of different sizes on the three-layer sandwiched fog collector.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jiaqian Li
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong; HKU-Zhejiang Institute of Research and Innovation (HKU-ZIRI), Hangzhou, Zhejiang 311300, China
| | - Wei Li
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong; HKU-Zhejiang Institute of Research and Innovation (HKU-ZIRI), Hangzhou, Zhejiang 311300, China
| | - Xing Han
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong; HKU-Zhejiang Institute of Research and Innovation (HKU-ZIRI), Hangzhou, Zhejiang 311300, China
| | - Liqiu Wang
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong; HKU-Zhejiang Institute of Research and Innovation (HKU-ZIRI), Hangzhou, Zhejiang 311300, China.
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Knapczyk-Korczak J, Szewczyk PK, Ura DP, Berent K, Stachewicz U. Hydrophilic nanofibers in fog collectors for increased water harvesting efficiency. RSC Adv 2020; 10:22335-22342. [PMID: 35514544 PMCID: PMC9054577 DOI: 10.1039/d0ra03939j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2020] [Accepted: 06/05/2020] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The water crisis is a big social problem and one of the solutions are the Fog Water Collectors (FWCs) that are placed in areas, where the use of conventional methods to collect water is impossible or inadequate. The most common fog collecting medium in FWC is Raschel mesh, which in our study is modified with electrospun polyamide 6 (PA6) nanofibers. The hydrophilic PA6 nanofibers were directly deposited on Raschel meshes to create the hierarchical structure that increases the effective surface area which enhances the ability to catch water droplets from fog. The meshes and the wetting behavior were investigated using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and environmental SEM (ESEM). We performed the fog water collection experiments on various configurations of Raschel meshes with hydrophilic PA6 nanofibers. The addition of hydrophilic nanofibers allowed us to obtain 3 times higher water collection rate of collecting water from fog. Within this study, we show the innovative and straightforward way to modify the existing technology that improves water collection by changing the mechanisms of droplet formation on the mesh. Modification of Raschel meshes used for fog water collectors with PA6 nanofibers allow to obtain 300% higher water collection rate in collecting water from fog.![]()
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Joanna Knapczyk-Korczak
- AGH University of Science and Technology
- Faculty of Metals Engineering and Industrial Computer Science
- International Centre of Electron Microscopy for Materials Science
- 30-059 Kraków
- Poland
| | - Piotr K. Szewczyk
- AGH University of Science and Technology
- Faculty of Metals Engineering and Industrial Computer Science
- International Centre of Electron Microscopy for Materials Science
- 30-059 Kraków
- Poland
| | - Daniel P. Ura
- AGH University of Science and Technology
- Faculty of Metals Engineering and Industrial Computer Science
- International Centre of Electron Microscopy for Materials Science
- 30-059 Kraków
- Poland
| | - Katarzyna Berent
- Academic Centre for Materials and Nanotechnology
- AGH University of Science and Technology
- Poland
| | - Urszula Stachewicz
- AGH University of Science and Technology
- Faculty of Metals Engineering and Industrial Computer Science
- International Centre of Electron Microscopy for Materials Science
- 30-059 Kraków
- Poland
| |
Collapse
|