A TiO2/CN-decorated wood carbon for efficient clean water production via simultaneous decontamination and evaporation

Utilizing renewable solar energy to achieve clean, efficient, and low-cost production of clean water is of great significance. Here, a bifunctional reactor, fabricated via the in-situ growth of titanium dioxide (TiO2) and graphite-phase carbon nitride (CN) in the lumen of wood carbon (WC), was demonstrated. TiO2 and CN improve the photothermal effects of the hybrid material, while WC acts as an electron acceptor to reduce the recombination rate of photogenerated carriers. A capillary pressure of ∼27.64 kPa ensured the effective capillary rise of water in the reactor. Further, under 1 sun irradiation, the reactor surface temperature increased by thermalization to 87.3 °C in the dry state and 42.6 °C in the wet state. The evaporation rate in contaminated seawater and contaminated water reached 1.49 kg m−2 h−1 and 1.63 kg m−2 h−1, with efficiency values of 84.8% and 92.1%, respectively. After 120 min of irradiation, the removal rate of rhodamine B (RhB) in contaminated seawater reached 90.5%, while in the case of contaminated water, the removal rates of tetracycline (TC), RhB, methylene blue (MB), and methyl orange (MO) reached 88%, 94%, 96%, and 100%, respectively. Moreover, the evaporated water was free of contaminants. These results showcase the potential of the proposed reactor technology towards clean water production.