scholarly journals Global Potential for Harvesting Drinking Water from Air using Solar Energy

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jackson Lord ◽  
Ashley Thomas ◽  
Neil Treat ◽  
Matthew Forkin ◽  
Robert Bain ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drinking Water ◽  
Solar Energy ◽  
High Performance ◽  
High Sensitivity ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Google Earth ◽  
Climate Data ◽  
Operational Parameters ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Tropical Regions

Abstract Access to safely managed drinking water (SMDW) remains a global challenge affecting 2.2 billion people [1,2]. Atmospheric Water Harvesting (AWH) can accelerate progress through decentralized production of liquid water from air [3]. A solar-driven device capable of active daytime operation can unlock design advantages through continuous cycling [4,5] and could be sized to household scale, though lower daytime humidity raises concerns about widespread suitability [6–8]. However, no methodological analysis has been conducted to characterize the global potential of daytime AWH [9] despite the favorable climatic conditions of low and middle-income countries (LMICs) in the tropical regions where two-thirds of people without SMDW services live [2]. Here we present a computing toolset built with Google Earth Engine to calculate the global potential of solar-driven AWH operating in continuous mode. By mapping time-averaged, contemporaneous occurrence of incident solar energy and available water vapor using a climate timeseries and official estimates of the geographic distribution of water service globally, we show that a significant portion of the world’s population without SMDW reside in a climate suitable for a device to serve their daily drinking water requirements. A device functional to relative humidity 30% can serve 1 billion in need by running 4-5 h/day above 600 W/m2, operational parameters which have been approached experimentally in recent prototypes using novel sorbents [10–17]. Steep gradients of AWH suitability in the Sahel of Africa indicate high sensitivity of design criteria to market serviceability. This global assessment of solar-driven AWH, unlocked by accessible high-performance geospatial computing [18] and climate data assimilated at high spatio-temporal resolution, can enable household-scale device innovation and accelerate the progress towards global goals.

scholarly journals PRODUCTION OF POTABLE WATER WITH THE USE OF SOLAR DESALINIZERS IN THE BRAZILIAN SEMI-ARID

2018 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 134
Author(s):  
Jose Adailton Lima Silva ◽  
Thais Mara Souza Pereira ◽  
Francisco José Loureiro Marinho ◽  
Vera Lucia Antunes De Lima ◽  
Pedro Vieira de Azevedo
Keyword(s):  
Drinking Water ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
Solar Energy ◽  
Field Studies ◽  
Water Shortage ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Environmental Benefits ◽  
Human Consumption ◽  
Energy Potential ◽  
Semi Arid

The semi-climatic conditions of the Brazilian Semi-arid have conditioned the water shortage, which has forced numerous rural families to consume brackish waters unfit for human consumption. Added to this is the fact that the poor management of local water resources is an aggravating factor to unavailability of water, especially drinking water. The technologies have proved to be medium for the efficient management of water resources. The present study aimed to analyze the use of solar desalinizers can offer drinking water with the use of solar energy. An experimental and qualiquantitative research was carried out, based: data collection; Field studies, with accounting for the production of drinking water; Conducting physical-chemical analyzes of water; And participatory research with families that consume the waters from desalinators. As result, there were: there is, locally, a great solar energy potential; There was an average production of 40 liters / day, which met the needs (2 liters / person / day) of 20 individuals distributed in 5 families; physico-chemical analyzes proved the potability of the water coming from the desalinators; And the use of desalinators has made possible socioeconomic and environmental benefits. It was concluded that desalinators are socially disseminable, economically viable, and environmentally sound technology.

scholarly journals Grafting of Silica Particles with Linoleic Acid via Modified Stober’s Method for Preconcenrtration of Pesticides in Drinking Water

2018 ◽  
Vol 778 ◽  
pp. 316-324
Author(s):  
Sadia Atta ◽  
Mehreen Fatima ◽  
Atif Islam ◽  
Nafisa Gull ◽  
Misbah Sultan
Keyword(s):  
Drinking Water ◽  
Linoleic Acid ◽  
Organochlorine Pesticides ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Solid Phase ◽  
High Sensitivity ◽  
Reverse Phase ◽  
Carcinogenic Activity ◽  
Ultraviolet Detector ◽  
Sensitivity And Selectivity

The extensive use of pesticides in agricultur has raised toxicity level in environment because of their mutagenic and carcinogenic activity. A sensitive technique is needed to develop for the detection of pesticides to get high sensitivity and selectivity in complex matrices. Modified Stober‘s method was used for the synthesis of pure SiO2 particles and grafted by linoleic acid. Grafted SiO2 were examined for its capability as a sorbent for removal and preconcentration of four organochlorine pesticides i.e. endrin, dieldrin, aldrin and DDT. The particles of SiO2 undergo hydrophobic interaction with linoleic acid by grafting. Both pure SiO2 and linoleic acid grafted SiO2 particles were characterized by SEM, FTIR and XRD. FTIR confirmed the grafting of SiO2 with linoleic acid. XRD and SEM results showed monodispersed and spherical SiO2 particles. The evaluation of grafted SiO2 was carried out by spiking organochlorine pesticides in drinking water. The grafted SiO2 particles could be used as a sorbent in solid phase extraction followed by high performance liquid chromatography with reverse phase C18 column with aqueous acetonitrile as a mobile phase with ultraviolet detector at 224 nm. The percent recoveries for aldrin, dieldin, endrin and DDT were 81, 52, 60 and 91%, respectively.

scholarly journals Global potential for harvesting drinking water from air using solar energy

Nature ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 598 (7882) ◽  
pp. 611-617
Author(s):  
Jackson Lord ◽  
Ashley Thomas ◽  
Neil Treat ◽  
Matthew Forkin ◽  
Robert Bain ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drinking Water ◽  
Technological Development ◽  
Google Earth ◽  
Water Harvesting ◽  
Atmospheric Water ◽  
Tropical Regions ◽  
Global Challenge ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Sorbent Materials ◽  
The Impact

AbstractAccess to safely managed drinking water (SMDW) remains a global challenge, and affects 2.2 billion people1,2. Solar-driven atmospheric water harvesting (AWH) devices with continuous cycling may accelerate progress by enabling decentralized extraction of water from air3–6, but low specific yields (SY) and low daytime relative humidity (RH) have raised questions about their performance (in litres of water output per day)7–11. However, to our knowledge, no analysis has mapped the global potential of AWH12 despite favourable conditions in tropical regions, where two-thirds of people without SMDW live2. Here we show that AWH could provide SMDW for a billion people. Our assessment—using Google Earth Engine13—introduces a hypothetical 1-metre-square device with a SY profile of 0.2 to 2.5 litres per kilowatt-hour (0.1 to 1.25 litres per kilowatt-hour for a 2-metre-square device) at 30% to 90% RH, respectively. Such a device could meet a target average daily drinking water requirement of 5 litres per day per person14. We plot the impact potential of existing devices and new sorbent classes, which suggests that these targets could be met with continued technological development, and well within thermodynamic limits. Indeed, these performance targets have been achieved experimentally in demonstrations of sorbent materials15–17. Our tools can inform design trade-offs for atmospheric water harvesting devices that maximize global impact, alongside ongoing efforts to meet Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with existing technologies.

Efficient Co-Harvesting of Solar Energy and Low-Grade Heat by Molecular Photoswitches for High Energy Density, Long-Term Stable Solar Thermal Battery

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhao-Yang Zhang ◽  
Tao LI
Keyword(s):  
Energy Density ◽  
Solar Energy ◽  
High Performance ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Solar Thermal ◽  
High Energy Density ◽  
Low Grade ◽  
Thermal Battery ◽  
Low Grade Heat

Solar energy and ambient heat are two inexhaustible energy sources for addressing the global challenge of energy and sustainability. Solar thermal battery based on molecular switches that can store solar energy and release it as heat has recently attracted great interest, but its development is severely limited by both low energy density and short storage stability. On the other hand, the efficient recovery and upgrading of low-grade heat, especially that of the ambient heat, has been a great challenge. Here we report that solar energy and ambient heat can be simultaneously harvested and stored, which is enabled by room-temperature photochemical crystal-to-liquid transitions of small-molecule photoswitches. The two forms of energy are released together to produce high-temperature heat during the reverse photochemical phase change. This strategy, combined with molecular design, provides high energy density of 320-370 J/g and long-term storage stability (half-life of about 3 months). On this basis, we fabricate high-performance, flexible film devices of solar thermal battery, which can be readily recharged at room temperature with good cycling ability, show fast rate of heat release, and produce high-temperature heat that is >20<sup> o</sup>C higher than the ambient temperature. Our work opens up a new avenue to harvest ambient heat, and demonstrate a feasible strategy to develop high-performance solar thermal battery.

Efficient Co-Harvesting of Solar Energy and Low-Grade Heat by Molecular Photoswitches for High Energy Density, Long-Term Stable Solar Thermal Battery

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhao-Yang Zhang ◽  
Tao LI
Keyword(s):  
Energy Density ◽  
Solar Energy ◽  
High Performance ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Solar Thermal ◽  
High Energy Density ◽  
Low Grade ◽  
Thermal Battery ◽  
Low Grade Heat

Solar energy and ambient heat are two inexhaustible energy sources for addressing the global challenge of energy and sustainability. Solar thermal battery based on molecular switches that can store solar energy and release it as heat has recently attracted great interest, but its development is severely limited by both low energy density and short storage stability. On the other hand, the efficient recovery and upgrading of low-grade heat, especially that of the ambient heat, has been a great challenge. Here we report that solar energy and ambient heat can be simultaneously harvested and stored, which is enabled by room-temperature photochemical crystal-to-liquid transitions of small-molecule photoswitches. The two forms of energy are released together to produce high-temperature heat during the reverse photochemical phase change. This strategy, combined with molecular design, provides high energy density of 320-370 J/g and long-term storage stability (half-life of about 3 months). On this basis, we fabricate high-performance, flexible film devices of solar thermal battery, which can be readily recharged at room temperature with good cycling ability, show fast rate of heat release, and produce high-temperature heat that is >20<sup> o</sup>C higher than the ambient temperature. Our work opens up a new avenue to harvest ambient heat, and demonstrate a feasible strategy to develop high-performance solar thermal battery.

Determination of Selected Phthalates in Some Commercial Cosmetic Products by HPLC-UV

2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (10) ◽  
pp. 1010-1022
Author(s):  
Emrah Dural
Keyword(s):  
High Performance ◽  
Phthalate Esters ◽  
High Sensitivity ◽  
Hplc Method ◽  
Cosmetic Products ◽  
Limit Of Quantification ◽  
Nail Polish ◽  
Accuracy And Precision ◽  
Butyl Phthalate

Aim and scope: Due to the serious toxicological risks and their widespread use, quantitative determination of phthalates in cosmetic products have importance for public health. The aim of this study was to develop a validated simple, rapid and reliable high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method for the determination of phthalates which are; dimethyl phthalate (DMP), diethyl phthalate (DEP), benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP), di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP), di(2- ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), in cosmetic products and to investigate these phthalate (PHT) levels in 48 cosmetic products marketing in Sivas, Turkey. Materials and Methods: Separation was achieved by a reverse-phase ACE-5 C18 column (4.6 x 250 mm, 5.0 μm). As the mobile phase, 5 mM KH2PO4 and acetonitrile were used gradiently at 1.5 ml min-1. All PHT esters were detected at 230 nm and the run time was taking 21 minutes. Results: This method showed the high sensitivity value the limit of quantification (LOQ) values for which are below 0.64 μg mL-1 of all phthalates. Method linearity was ≥0.999 (r2). Accuracy and precision values of all phthalates were calculated between (-6.5) and 6.6 (RE%) and ≤6.2 (RSD%), respectively. Average recovery was between 94.8% and 99.6%. Forty-eight samples used for both babies and adults were successfully analyzed by the developed method. Results have shown that, DMP (340.7 μg mL-1 ±323.7), DEP (1852.1 μg mL-1 ± 2192.0), and DBP (691.3 μg mL-1 ± 1378.5) were used highly in nail polish, fragrance and cream products, respectively. Conclusion: Phthalate esters, which are mostly detected in the content of fragrance, cream and nail polish products and our research in general, are DEP (1852.1 μg mL-1 ± 2192.0), DBP (691.3 μg mL-1 ± 1378.5) and DMP (340.7 μg mL-1 ±323.7), respectively. Phthalates were found in the content of all 48 cosmetic products examined, and the most detected phthalates in general average were DEP (581.7 μg mL-1 + 1405.2) with a rate of 79.2%. The unexpectedly high phthalate content in the examined cosmetic products revealed a great risk of these products on human health. The developed method is a simple, sensitive, reliable and economical alternative for the determination of phthalates in the content of cosmetic products, it can be used to identify phthalate esters in different products after some modifications.

scholarly journals Climate drivers of plague epidemiology in British India, 1898–1949

2020 ◽  
Vol 287 (1928) ◽  
pp. 20200538
Author(s):  
Warren S. D. Tennant ◽  
Mike J. Tildesley ◽  
Simon E. F. Spencer ◽  
Matt J. Keeling
Keyword(s):  
Predictive Models ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Climate Data ◽  
British India ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Complex Interactions ◽  
The World ◽  
Spatio Temporal

Plague, caused by Yersinia pestis infection, continues to threaten low- and middle-income countries throughout the world. The complex interactions between rodents and fleas with their respective environments challenge our understanding of human plague epidemiology. Historical long-term datasets of reported plague cases offer a unique opportunity to elucidate the effects of climate on plague outbreaks in detail. Here, we analyse monthly plague deaths and climate data from 25 provinces in British India from 1898 to 1949 to generate insights into the influence of temperature, rainfall and humidity on the occurrence, severity and timing of plague outbreaks. We find that moderate relative humidity levels of between 60% and 80% were strongly associated with outbreaks. Using wavelet analysis, we determine that the nationwide spread of plague was driven by changes in humidity, where, on average, a one-month delay in the onset of rising humidity translated into a one-month delay in the timing of plague outbreaks. This work can inform modern spatio-temporal predictive models for the disease and aid in the development of early-warning strategies for the deployment of prophylactic treatments and other control measures.

scholarly journals Design of a Sensitive Balloon Sensor for Safe Human–Robot Interaction

Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (6) ◽  
pp. 2163
Author(s):  
Dongjin Kim ◽  
Seungyong Han ◽  
Taewi Kim ◽  
Changhwan Kim ◽  
Doohoe Lee ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Performance ◽  
Strain Sensor ◽  
High Sensitivity ◽  
Human Robot Interaction ◽  
Large Area ◽  
Tactile Sensors ◽  
Robot Interaction ◽  
Mechanical Crack ◽  
Flexible Strain Sensor ◽  
Contact Sensing

As the safety of a human body is the main priority while interacting with robots, the field of tactile sensors has expanded for acquiring tactile information and ensuring safe human–robot interaction (HRI). Existing lightweight and thin tactile sensors exhibit high performance in detecting their surroundings. However, unexpected collisions caused by malfunctions or sudden external collisions can still cause injuries to rigid robots with thin tactile sensors. In this study, we present a sensitive balloon sensor for contact sensing and alleviating physical collisions over a large area of rigid robots. The balloon sensor is a pressure sensor composed of an inflatable body of low-density polyethylene (LDPE), and a highly sensitive and flexible strain sensor laminated onto it. The mechanical crack-based strain sensor with high sensitivity enables the detection of extremely small changes in the strain of the balloon. Adjusting the geometric parameters of the balloon allows for a large and easily customizable sensing area. The weight of the balloon sensor was approximately 2 g. The sensor is employed with a servo motor and detects a finger or a sheet of rolled paper gently touching it, without being damaged.

scholarly journals Integrating high-performing electrochemical transducers in lateral flow assay

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonia Perju ◽  
Nongnoot Wongkaew
Keyword(s):  
High Performance ◽  
Point Of Care ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
High Sensitivity ◽  
Lateral Flow ◽  
Analytical Performance ◽  
Label Free ◽  
High Performing ◽  
Lateral Flow Assays ◽  
Electrochemical Transducers

AbstractLateral flow assays (LFAs) are the best-performing and best-known point-of-care tests worldwide. Over the last decade, they have experienced an increasing interest by researchers towards improving their analytical performance while maintaining their robust assay platform. Commercially, visual and optical detection strategies dominate, but it is especially the research on integrating electrochemical (EC) approaches that may have a chance to significantly improve an LFA’s performance that is needed in order to detect analytes reliably at lower concentrations than currently possible. In fact, EC-LFAs offer advantages in terms of quantitative determination, low-cost, high sensitivity, and even simple, label-free strategies. Here, the various configurations of EC-LFAs published are summarized and critically evaluated. In short, most of them rely on applying conventional transducers, e.g., screen-printed electrode, to ensure reliability of the assay, and additional advances are afforded by the beneficial features of nanomaterials. It is predicted that these will be further implemented in EC-LFAs as high-performance transducers. Considering the low cost of point-of-care devices, it becomes even more important to also identify strategies that efficiently integrate nanomaterials into EC-LFAs in a high-throughput manner while maintaining their favorable analytical performance.

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