Natural eumelanin exhibits exceptional photoprotective and light-management functions, largely attributed to its fundamental building block 5,6-dihydroxyindole-2-carboxylic acid (DHICA). However, the disordered polymeric structure of eumelanin has hindered the establishment of clear structure-property relationships. While DHICA is a pivotal precursor in eumelanin biosynthesis with superior energy dissipation capacity and metal-binding capability, its potential in constructing bioinspired photothermal systems remains underexplored. Herein, we propose a well-defined Fe3+-DHICA coordination complex as a model system to modulate the light-harvesting properties via ligand-to-metal charge transfer (LMCT) strategy. This molecular-level engineering significantly narrows the energy bandgap and extends absorption into the near-infrared (NIR) region. Through rational complexation with Fe3+, we construct stable Fe3+-DHICA networks that exhibit broad and intense LMCT-mediated absorption spanning the UV to NIR regions. This coordination not only suppresses undesired decarboxylation but also promotes efficient nonradiative relaxation for heat generation. The optimized complex demonstrates exceptional solar-driven water evaporation performance when coated on a cellulose foam-based evaporator and enables efficient solar-driven water desalination with excellent evaporation rates and cycling stability. This work offers a deeper understanding of metallo-melanin photophysics and provides a versatile strategy for designing high-performance solar-thermal materials based on eumelanin precursors.

Sustainable electrification and water desalination with distributed renewable energy sources

Review of graphene oxide-improved thin-film nanocomposite membranes for desalination of saline water

Janus MXene/dialdehyde chitosan modified collagen phase change composite aerogel for highly efficient solar-driven seawater desalination and dye-polluted water purification

Energy efficiency of single-pass electrodialysis and nanofiltration/reverse osmosis for brackish water desalination: An experimental comparison

Magnetically driven engineering of magnetic hydroxyapatite/CA RO membranes: Enhancing surface physicochemical properties for high-performance water desalination

This study investigates the prevalence and sources of microplastics (MPs, 300–5,000 µm) in the marine environment of Abu Dhabi Emirate, UAE—an underexplored region with significant anthropogenic influence. Samples were collected from ten ecologically distinct site categories, including areas near oilfields, near desalination plants, port and marinas, aquaculture activities, public beaches, confined areas, newly developed areas, point sources, near offshore islands and natural habitats. “Natural habitats” showed the lowest MP levels (3.33 particles/100 g sediment; 4.5 P/L water), while sites near oilfields, ports, and offshore islands had the highest (8.2–9.3 P/L water; 5.0–6.6 P/100 g sediment). A total of 1,493 MPs were characterized by size, shape, and color. Polymer analysis of 240 MPs identified acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene (31%), cellulose acetate (27%), nylon-66 (20%), and PET (10%) as dominant types. Smaller MPs (100–300 µm) were also quantified at selected categories. Pollution Load Index (PLI) analysis, using natural habitats as a baseline, indicated the greatest anthropogenic impact near offshore oilfields and islands, highlighting spatial variations in MP contamination.

We report a method for the precise regulation of intracrystalline missing-linkers to control the permeability and selectivity of metal-organic framework (MOF) membranes. The method is applied for the design of stable ceramic-based MOF-801 membranes for hypersaline water treatment via pervaporation. For efficient membrane growth, an in situ nano-seeding strategy was employed to provide nucleation sites followed by surfactant posttreatment to minimize cracks. Missing-linkers are regulated in MOF-801 membranes by altering the ratio of fumarate to formic acid, which positively enhances water transport by modifying the MOF-801 structure and chemistry. Specifically, missing-linkers enhance membrane structural hydrophilicity with stronger host-guest interaction energy, resulting in faster transport with a lower energy barrier by enlarging the pore window and pore cage. The MOF-801 membranes demonstrated near-perfect salt rejection (~99.9%) and high water flux, outperforming most state-of-the-art silica, MOF, and zeolite polycrystalline membranes for the treatment of both saline and hypersaline waters. Notably, the membranes exhibited stable desalination performance, highlighting their promising application potential. This work provides a strategy for the rational design of next-generation high-performance MOF nanochannel membranes for challenging water purification applications.

The increasing demand for clean and safe water across the globe represents one of the most pressing challenges of modern society [...]

Achieving both efficient water transport and complete salt rejection in synthetic water channels continues to pose a significant challenge for reverse osmosis (RO) desalination. In this study, we design a series of functional porous organic cages (POCs) by grafting fluorine (-F), hydroxyl (-OH), amino (-NH2), and methyl (-CH3) into the interior of a prototypical CC3 cage to construct CC3-F, CC3-OH, CC3-NH2, and CC3-CH3 channels, respectively. Subsequently, molecular dynamics simulations are conducted to explore how different chemical functional groups influence the desalination performance of these CC3-based channels embedded in a lipid bilayer. It is revealed that water transports through the channels in a single-file manner, and all the channels exhibit complete salt rejection. Water fluxes follow the order: CC3-F > CC3-OH > CC3 > CC3-NH2 > CC3-CH3, as attributed to the steric hindrance and hydrogen bonding of functional groups that affect water-channel interaction and alter the dynamic configuration of confined water molecules in the channels. Furthermore, wetting-dewetting transition is found to be largely suppressed in the hydrophilic channels. From temperature-dependent water flux, activation energies are estimated to range from 12 to 20 kJ/mol in CC3-based channels, lower than those in polyamide RO membranes. From bottom-up, this simulation study reveals molecular-level mechanisms of the role of functionalization in tuning water transport in one-dimensional subnanometer channels and provides a theoretical basis for designing high-performance synthetic water channels toward next-generation desalination technologies.

Abstract Seawater desalination is a drought-proof water supply for coastal cities, but widespread development of desalination plants in the U.S. has been limited by both cost and the complexity of permitting processes designed to minimize environmental impact. This work estimates the value of accelerating the permitting timeline without changing environmental or social standards. On average, faster permitting reduces the frequency of desalination plant construction and operation, the overall costs of robust water system operation, the environmental impacts of drought-tolerant water supplies due to shorter duration of plant operation. Expedited permitting allows fundamental changes in how water infrastructure is deployed, facilitating a transition from anticipatory construction and continuous operation of seawater desalination capacity as a redundant drought buffer to just-in-time (i.e. adaptive) deployment of seawater desalination capacity when critical drought thresholds are crossed. We demonstrate the value of expedited desalination permitting in enabling adaptive planning and reducing water system costs using a simple case study in Santa Barbara, CA. We discuss additional forms of adaptive water infrastructure planning as enabled by faster permitting and address their challenges and opportunities. Lastly, we identify synergies between innovation in adaptive planning, innovation in expedited permitting practices, and innovation in water technology.

Owing to delocalized free electrons from mixed-valence MoV/MoVI sites, the resulting molybdenum-based polyoxometalates compounds exhibit broad-spectrum solar absorption and hold significant potential for solar energy utilization. However, in discrete molecular clusters, intervalence charge transfer remains confined within individual polyoxometalate units, restricting carrier mobility to intramolecular hopping. This study pioneers a three-dimensional [Zn4MoV9MoVI4O40(mbim)2]n polyoxometalate-based metal-organic framework (denoted as AHF-Zn4) that enables intercluster charge delocalization across the extended lattice, significantly enhancing photothermal conversion efficiency. Leveraging crystallographic insights, strategic substitution of 25% Zn2+ sites with magnetic metal ions (Co2+, Ni2+, Mn2+) further optimizes electron transport dynamics. X-ray absorption spectroscopy and density functional theory analyses revealed that the unfilled d orbitals of the heterometals provide more active electrons compared to Zn2+, facilitating the electron-vibration coupling effect, further increasing the nonradiative relaxation rate. Under 1 sun irradiation, the maximum temperature of AHF-CoZn3 based MOF can reach approximately 75 °C. Through integration with thermoelectric modules, the evaporator stably achieves an output power of 1088 mW m-2, enabling continuous power generation via the temperature gradient along the TE modules. This work provides a novel strategy for designing high-performance polyoxometalate-based MOF photothermal materials and demonstrates their potential applications in solar water purification, desalination, and solar thermoelectric power generation.

Performance optimization of waste heat-powered humidification-dehumidification desalination unit using response surface methodology for decentralized freshwater production

Graphene oxide (GO) membranes have emerged as promising candidates for water desalination as a result of their structural and transport properties. In this study, we employ fully atomistic classical molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the performance of monolayer GO membranes featuring pore- and slit-like nanostructures. We analyze the influence of the width of the slits, ranging from 0.8 to 1.5nm, on water transport and salt rejection by monitoring the spatial and temporal distributions of water molecules and ions. Furthermore, we assess the effect of applied pressure on water density profiles and compute the potential of mean force for water molecules traversing the slits. Our results reveal that slits offer tunable transport characteristics and that nanopores generally outperform slits in the combined metrics of water flux and ion exclusion at low pressures. At higher pressures, however, 1.0-1.5nm slits exhibit a permeability gain that can exceed comparable nanopore systems, with a reduction in salt rejection, whereas 0.8nm slits retain near-complete ion exclusion over the range examined. These findings delineate operating regimes in which each architecture is advantageous and guide the optimization of nanostructure design for advanced desalination technologies.

Researchers and engineers are creating pertinent solutions to deal with water stress and rising energy demand.A very effective method is the cogeneration of thermal and electrical energy from a single primary source. The integration of gas turbines with a multieffect distillation (MED) desalination unit is described in this article. This synergy dramatically increases overall fuel efficiency to approximately 67%, lowers specific greenhouse gas emissions per unit of water and power produced, and lowers operating costs by using the high temperature exhaust from a gas turbine in a Heat Recovery Steam Generator (HRSG) to produce steam for thermal desalination. This study presents a technological scenario, analyzes the energy of each component, and looks at the benefits and drawbacks from an economic and environmental perspective. This article shows that combining a MED with a gas turbine presents a viable and sustainable alternative for the joint production of energy and drinking water. This work further emphasizes the applicability of integrated GT–MED cogeneration systems in arid coastal regions, where water scarcity and growing energy demand coexist. By improving fuel utilization and reducing specific emissions, this configuration provides a reliable, efficient, and environmentally sustainable solution for the simultaneous production of electricity and potable water.

Faradaic capacitive deionization (Faradaic CDI) is a promising technology for tackling the global water crisis through efficient desalination. However, its practical implementation has been hindered by inherent challenges, such as sluggish reaction kinetics and limited mass transfer, especially under low-salinity conditions. To address these issues, this study proposes an induced-charge Faradaic CDI (IC-Faradaic CDI) system. The key innovation lies in the strategic integration of Faradaic CDI with an electric double-layer mechanism through a wireless induced-charge IC unit. This design modulates the electric field and ion transport, optimizes the concentration distribution, and establishes a universal pathway to reconcile the trade-off between kinetics and capacity. As a result, the IC-Faradaic CDI system delivers a desalination capacity of 0.269 mg cm-2 and an outstanding average desalination rate of 0.027 mg cm-2 min-1, surpassing most existing Faradaic CDI systems. Furthermore, to validate its real-world applicability, a larger-scale system (324 cm2) was constructed, achieving 77% salt removal from simulated brackish water and the effective desalination of real brackish water from the Yangtze River estuary. This work provides a novel and universal strategy to alleviate the kinetic limitations of Faradaic CDI and offers a low-cost, membrane-free, and energy-efficient solution for high-performance water treatment.

ABSTRACT Solar water desalination represents a sustainable pathway for freshwater production in water‐scarce arid and semi‐arid regions; yet, conventional solar stills suffer from inherently low productivity due to limited absorber‐water contact and inefficient energy conversion. In order to address this issue, we propose an innovative solar still absorber design that expands the contact surface by 125.44% through finned basin partitioning to enhance the solar energy conversion into heat. A rigorous 4E analysis (energy, exergy, environmental, and economic) was conducted on two experimental prototypes operating under identical meteorological conditions, with comprehensive computational fluid dynamics (CFD) validation. Results demonstrate that the multibasin absorber enhances solar energy conversion by raising water temperature by approximately 7%, leading to a freshwater yield of 3.04 L/m² on April 20, and a 31% improvement over the conventional configuration. The 4E analysis reveals a 9% improvement in energy efficiency and a 2.7% enhancement in exergy with the novel absorber design, compared to the conventional one. Additionally, an environmental and economic analysis indicates a 14% cost reduction compared to traditional solar still configurations. Using the VOF multiphase flow, k‐ε RNG turbulence, and DO radiation, the CFD model demonstrates a good agreement with experiments with a maximum water‐temperature deviation not exceeding 3°C ( ≈ 4% relative error), confirming its prediction capability under various climatic conditions.

Microplastics in small semi-industrial desalination stations and bottled waters: Human exposure and emerging health concerns.

Species-specific transparent exopolymer particle (TEP) during three harmful algal blooms (2022-2024) in an upwelling-influenced coastal bay.

Covalent Organic Framework (COF) composite membranes in water remediation and desalination