Recent Advancement in Solar-Driven Interfacial Steam Generation for Desalination : A State-of-the-Art Review

Solar energy is one of the most efficient origins of energy for a wide range of environmentally beneficial purposes. Water desalination by steam generation with the help of solar energy is not only an economical and straightforward approach, but it also utilizes free energy sources to solve the problem of increasing freshwater scarcity. Solar water evaporation is an essential component of the low-energy method for generating fresh water, which is required for economic development and human health. Freshwater productivity determines how effectively the system captures incoming solar energy and transforms it into usable heat. Effective water distillation has recently gained a lot of attention. The photothermal conversion process is built on the performance of the evaporator. This review thoroughly examines the most recent developments in photothermal materials, structure design, and engineering strategies, including design principles for highly efficient photothermal conversion, thermal management, water transport phenomena, salt rejection behavior, and improved evaporation rate. The prospective applications of this technique in saline water desalination, waste water purification, and energy generation are highlighted. Furthermore, the most recent scientific advancements are utilized to demonstrate the potential, prospects, and challenges of solar-driven evaporation in energy conversion

rGO coated cotton fabric and thermoelectric module arrays for efficient solar desalination and electricity generation

One promising solution to the freshwater crisis is solar-driven interfacial evaporation-based desalination. However, an alternate strategy is needed to address both water and energy shortages in parallel. Additionally, the disposal of desalination brine necessitates specific consideration while designing a sustainable solar interfacial desalination system. Herein, we demonstrate a single system that utilizes incident solar irradiance to produce interfacial steam using reduced graphene oxide (rGO) coated cotton fabric (CF) to desalinate seawater with an evaporation efficiency of 86.98%. The high thermal conductivity and excellent optical absorption of rGO contribute to the absorption of a broad solar spectrum. The system also produces 339.26 mW of electricity simultaneously by deploying commercially available thermoelectric generator (TEG) modules that use the squandered heat, increasing the overall system efficiency by 7.3%. The use of a custom-made power electronics module ensures operating at the maximum power point which has also been verified by computer simulation. Finally, hydrogen gas with zero carbon emission is produced by electrolyzing the seawater utilizing the electricity generated by the TEG module using solar-induced heat at a rate of 0.52 mmol h −1. Converting brine into hydrogen and oxygen gas by electrolysis demonstrates a potential in situ approach for desalination waste remediation

Position and sequence conservation in Amniota of polymorphic enhancer HS1.2 within the palindrome of IgH 3'Regulatory Region

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The Immunoglobulin heavy chain (IgH) 3' Regulatory Region (3'RR), located at the 3' of the constant alpha gene, plays a crucial role in immunoglobulin production. In humans, there are 2 copies of the 3'RR, each composed of 4 main elements: 3 enhancers and a 20 bp tandem repeat. The single mouse 3'RR differs from the two human ones for the presence of 4 more regulative elements with the double copy of one enhancer at the border of a palindromic region.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We compared the 3'RR organization in genomes of vertebrates to depict the evolutionary history of the region and highlight its shared features. We found that in the 8 species in which the whole region was included in a fully assembled contig (mouse, rat, dog, rabbit, panda, orangutan, chimpanzee, and human), the shared elements showed synteny and a highly conserved sequence, thus suggesting a strong evolutionary constraint. In these species, the wide 3'RR (~30 kb in human) bears a large palindromic sequence, consisting in two ~3 kb complementary branches spaced by a ~3 kb sequence always including the HS1.2 enhancer. In mouse and rat, HS3 is involved by the palindrome so that one copy of the enhancer is present on each side. A second relevant feature of our present work concerns human polymorphism of the HS1.2 enhancer, associated to immune diseases in our species. We detected a similar polymorphism in all the studied Catarrhini (a primate parvorder). The polymorphism consists of multiple copies of a 40 bp element up to 12 in chimpanzees, 8 in baboons, 6 in macaque, 5 in gibbons, 4 in humans and orangutan, separated by stretches of Cytosine. We show specific binding of this element to nuclear factors.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The nucleotide sequence of the palindrome is not conserved among evolutionary distant species, suggesting pressures for the maintenance of two self-matching regions driving a three-dimensional structure despite of the inter-specific divergence at sequence level. The information about the conservation of the palindromic structure and the settling in primates of the polymorphic feature of HS1.2 show the relevance of these structures in the control and modulation of the Ig production through the formation of possible three-dimensional structures.</p

A gene trap transposon eliminates haematopoietic expression of zebrafish Gfi1aa, but does not interfere with haematopoiesis

A transposon-mediated gene trap screen identified the zebrafish line qmc551 that expresses a GFP reporter in primitive erythrocytes and also in haemogenic endothelial cells, which give rise to haematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) that seed sites of larval and adult haematopoiesis. The transposon that mediates this GFP expression is located in intron 1 of the gfi1aa gene, one of three zebrafish paralogs that encode transcriptional repressors homologous to mammalian Gfi1 and Gfi1b proteins. In qmc551 transgenics, GFP expression is under the control of the endogenous gfi1aa promoter, recapitulates early gfi1aa expression and allows live observation of gfi1aa promoter activity. While the transposon integration interferes with the expression of gfi1aa mRNA in haematopoietic cells, homozygous qmc551 fish are viable and fertile, and display normal primitive and definitive haematopoiesis. Retained expression of Gfi1b in primitive erythrocytes and upregulation of Gfi1ab at the onset of definitive haematopoiesis in homozygous qmc551 carriers, are sufficient to allow normal haematopoiesis. This finding contradicts previously published morpholino data that suggested an essential role for zebrafish Gfi1aa in primitive erythropoiesi

Assessment of Soil Chemical Properties and Rice Yield in Tidal Submergence Ecosystem

Spatial variability of soil chemical properties is critical for improving rice productivity and sustainable farming techniques. However, a systematic assessment on the spatial variability of tidal ecosystem has not been conducted. So, 144 soil samples were collected across Barisal, Borguna and Jalkhati districts and analyzed for six common chemical properties. Rice yield data was obtained by surveying farmers during crop harvest. Soil parameters and rice yield varied considerably throughout the study areas and their coefficients of variation ranged from 8.77 to 71.04%. Slight variability was observed for soil organic matter (SOM) and available K. The pH of the soils was slightly acidic to alkaline. These paddy fields were characterized by high concentrations of SOM, available P, K and S; but low total N. Rice yield was significantly and positively correlated with pH, available K and S, but negatively correlated with SOM

Solar driven interfacial steam generation derived from biodegradable luffa sponge

202211 bcwhAccepted ManuscriptRGCOthersThe Hong Kong Polytechnic UniversityPublishe

MXene/MnO2 nanocomposite coated superior salt-rejecting biodegradable luffa sponge for efficient solar steam generation

Solar steam generation is widely regarded as one of the potential green approaches for freshwater regeneration by utilizing solar energy. Herein, the MXene/MnO2 nanocomposite-coated biodegradable luffa sponge (Ti3C2-MnO2@LS) is proposed as an efficient solar evaporator for solar steam generation. The thin layer of Ti3C2-MnO2 coated on the surface of the luffa sponge (LS) serves as the solar absorber and enhances the hydrophilicity of the LS, while the thermally insulating LS layer with microporous structure endows sufficient water transportation and localizes heat for interfacial water evaporation. Combining MXene with MnO2 can increase the surface area as well as the stability. The Ti3C2-MnO2@LS delivers a solar evaporation rate as high as 1.36 kg m−2 h−1, with a solar steam conversion efficiency of 85.28 % under one sun irradiation. Furthermore, this Ti3C2-MnO2@LS exhibits superior salt-rejecting properties even under highly concentrated saltwater desalination and excellent wastewater purification performance. This work demonstrates the prospects of combining novel 2D materials with biomass-based materials for practical solar steam generation

rGO coated cotton fabric and thermoelectric module arrays for efficient solar desalination and electricity generation

One promising solution to the freshwater crisis is solar-driven interfacial evaporation-based desalination. However, an alternate strategy is needed to address both water and energy shortages in parallel. Additionally, the disposal of desalination brine necessitates specific consideration while designing a sustainable solar interfacial desalination system. Herein, we demonstrate a single system that utilizes incident solar irradiance to produce interfacial steam using reduced graphene oxide (rGO) coated cotton fabric (CF) to desalinate seawater with an evaporation efficiency of 86.98%. The high thermal conductivity and excellent optical absorption of rGO contribute to the absorption of a broad solar spectrum. The system also produces 339.26 mW of electricity simultaneously by deploying commercially available thermoelectric generator (TEG) modules that use the squandered heat, increasing the overall system efficiency by 7.3%. The use of a custom-made power electronics module ensures operating at the maximum power point which has also been verified by computer simulation. Finally, hydrogen gas with zero carbon emission is produced by electrolyzing the seawater utilizing the electricity generated by the TEG module using solar-induced heat at a rate of 0.52 mmol h−1. Converting brine into hydrogen and oxygen gas by electrolysis demonstrates a potential in situ approach for desalination waste remediation.</p