A TiO2/CN-decorated wood carbon for efficient clean water production via simultaneous decontamination and evaporation

Abstract

Utilizing renewable solar energy to achieve clean, efficient, and low-cost production of clean water is of great significance. Here, a bifunctional reactor, fabricated via the in-situ growth of titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) and graphite-phase carbon nitride (CN) in the lumen of wood carbon (WC), was demonstrated. TiO 2 and CN improve the photothermal effects of the hybrid material, while WC acts as an electron acceptor to reduce the recombination rate of photogenerated carriers . A capillary pressure of ∼27.64 kPa ensured the effective capillary rise of water in the reactor. Further, under 1 sun irradiation, the reactor surface temperature increased by thermalization to 87.3 °C in the dry state and 42.6 °C in the wet state. The evaporation rate in contaminated seawater and contaminated water reached 1.49 kg m −2 h −1 and 1.63 kg m −2 h −1 , with efficiency values of 84.8% and 92.1%, respectively. After 120 min of irradiation, the removal rate of rhodamine B (RhB) in contaminated seawater reached 90.5%, while in the case of contaminated water, the removal rates of tetracycline (TC), RhB, methylene blue (MB), and methyl orange (MO) reached 88%, 94%, 96%, and 100%, respectively. Moreover, the evaporated water was free of contaminants. These results showcase the potential of the proposed reactor technology towards clean water production. • The evaporation rate of the bifunctional reactor with natural porous structure was 1.63 kg m −2 h −1 . • Even growth of TiO 2 and CN in the lumen of wood carbon allowed for simultaneous evaporation and decontamination. • The likely mechanisms of photocatalysis and evaporation in the reactor were proposed.