Scientists may have found a more efficient water to desalinate water using solar power, according to new research, offering a solution for global water scarcity through the use of renewable energy.
Researchers at Nankai University in Tianjin, China, developed the concept of a solar-powered desalination system that produces fresh water by using smart DNA hydrogels that does not consume additional energy, compared to conventional desalination strategies currently in use, such as reverse osmosis, which use copious amounts of energy, according to a paper published in the journal Science Advances on Thursday.
The new solar-powered concept, which fabricates a DNA hydrogel matrix, incorporates the ability to absorb sunlight and reduce the amount of energy required to evaporate water.
Uranium, the main fuel for nuclear energy, and other valuable minerals and resources will be able to be extracted from seawater with the new process, Guo said, adding that the DNA structures can be programmed to extract other targets, such as lithium ions.
Experiments conducted in the Bohai Sea in northeast China found that the new solar-powered process, using a DNA hydrogel matrix loaded with graphene oxide, could efficiently evaporate water at a rate of 3.54 kilograms per square meter per hour, the researchers found.
The new process could solve future water supply issues using renewable energy, limiting the amount of emissions released.
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