Wooden Solar Evaporator Design Based on the Water Transpiration Principle of Trees
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Materials
2.2. Methods
2.2.1. Photothermal Evaporation Test
2.2.2. Microstructural Characterization Test
2.2.3. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy
2.2.4. X-ray Profile Density Test
3. Results
3.1. Estimation of Water Quality Change and Evaporation Force in Photothermal Evaporation
3.2. Moisture Migration Microstructure Characterization Analysis
3.3. Profile Density and Composition Analysis
4. Conclusions
- The three-layer structure of double-sided carbonized poplar can better simulate the water transpiration mechanism of the roots, trunks, and leaves of trees. Driven by solar energy, the use of double-sided carbonized poplar significantly improved the water transpiration quality, and the water evaporation followed the trend of DCPC > SCPC > NCPC. Of these samples, NCPC had a photothermal evaporation capacity of 1.32 kg·m−2·h−1, which was 21.97% higher than SCPC and 37.88% higher than NCPC.
- Carbonized poplar had many micropores and transition pores on its surface, forming a high specific surface area. The tar material in the pores exhibited a good adsorption performance after exclusion. In addition, the longitudinal pipes were unobstructed; the pit tissue in the chord direction was affected by the high temperature, and the pit membrane was damaged, which made it easier for water to transmit laterally. Structural changes were carried out by wood physical treatment, but according to the existing literature, the transformation of the internal structure of the wood is an effective way to further improve the photothermal evaporation capacity.
- The evaporation force of the test piece was estimated by the experimental measurement of photothermal evaporation. This provides a certain reference value for estimating the water migration of xylem surfaces under photothermal conditions. In the future, the theory of molecular dynamics will be incorporated into the simulation analysis of the migration of water molecules in wood, which will have significance both on a microcosmic scale and in providing continuous guidance.
- As an absorber material, the mass of photothermal evaporation is also related to the tree species. In the photothermal evaporation test of a double-sided carbonized three-layer structure of spruce recently completed by the author, the maximum water evaporation was 0.94 kg·m−2·h−1, which was lower than the DCPC water evaporation of poplar (1.32 kg·m−2·h−1). This was due to the difference in the transporting molecules (tracheids and vessels) of the two kinds of wood. In the future, the selection of various kinds of wood for water purification is also a research direction.
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
Abbreviations
L/C/R/T | Longitudinal, Cross-Section, Radial Section, and Tangential Section of Wood. |
NCP/SCP/DCP/FCP | The uncarbonized poplar is expressed as NCP, single-sided carbonized poplar as SCP, double-sided carbonized poplar as DCP, and fully carbonized poplar as FCP. |
NCPC/NCPR/NCPT | Cross-section, Radial section, and Tangential section of the uncarbonized poplar, Where N means uncarbonized. |
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Xiong, W.; Li, D. Wooden Solar Evaporator Design Based on the Water Transpiration Principle of Trees. Materials 2023, 16, 1628. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16041628
Xiong W, Li D. Wooden Solar Evaporator Design Based on the Water Transpiration Principle of Trees. Materials. 2023; 16(4):1628. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16041628
Chicago/Turabian StyleXiong, Wei, and Dagang Li. 2023. "Wooden Solar Evaporator Design Based on the Water Transpiration Principle of Trees" Materials 16, no. 4: 1628. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16041628
APA StyleXiong, W., & Li, D. (2023). Wooden Solar Evaporator Design Based on the Water Transpiration Principle of Trees. Materials, 16(4), 1628. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16041628