Biomass-Derived Carbonaceous Materials with Multichannel Waterways for Solar-Driven Clean Water and Thermoelectric Power Generation

Coping with the shortage of fresh water and electricity in off-grid and resource-constrained areas through sustainable strategies has become the most urgent challenge facing the development of human society. Herein, we propose a low-cost and sustainable way of repurposing discarded pomelo peel by converting it into 3D porous carbon foam (i.e., carbonized pomelo peel, referred to as CPP) with multichannel waterways for synergetic coupling of solar-driven interfacial evaporation (SDIE) and low-grade heat-to-electricity generation. The superhydrophilic 3D porous CPP with multichannel waterways utilizes its powerful water supply capability to avoid salt accumulation during continuous seawater desalination. By cautiously weighing the water transport and thermal management of CPP-based evaporators, CPP with three-channel waterways (CPP3) can achieve efficient solar-driven evaporation (the evaporation rate of 1.37 kg m–2 h–1, one sun) on the premise of salt resistance through its superior light absorption and ultrafast solar-thermal response. Besides, a collaborative device integrating CPP3 and a commercial thermoelectric (TE) generator is designed for synchronous generation of solar steam and thermoelectricity, which can simultaneously achieve an evaporation rate of 1.39 kg m–2 h–1 and a power output of 0.5 W m–2 under one sun illumination. Such a cost-effective and easy-to-manufacture strategy can provide potential opportunities for satisfying the demand for fresh water and electricity in resource-constrained areas.