Solar-Powered Sustainable Water Production: State-of-the-Art Technologies for Sunlight-Energy-Water Nexus.

Abstract

Alternative water resources (seawater, brackish water, atmospheric water, sewage, <i>etc.</i>) can be converted into clean freshwater <i>via</i> high-efficiency, energy-saving, and cost-effective methods to cope with the global water crisis. Herein, we provide a comprehensive and systematic overview of various solar-powered technologies for alternative water utilization (<i>i</i>.<i>e</i>., "sunlight-energy-water nexus"), including solar-thermal interface desalination (STID), solar-thermal membrane desalination (STMD), solar-driven electrochemical desalination (SED), and solar-thermal atmospheric water harvesting (ST-AWH). Three strategies have been proposed for improving the evaporation rate of STID systems above the theoretical limit and designing all-weather or all-day operating STID systems by analyzing the energy transfer of the evaporation and condensation processes caused by solar-thermal conversion. This review also introduces the fundamental principles and current research hotspots of two other solar-driven seawater or brackish water desalination technologies (STMD and SED) in detail. In addition, we also cover ST-AWH and other solar-powered technologies in terms of technology design, materials evolution, device assembly, <i>etc.</i> Finally, we summarize the content of this comprehensive review and discuss the challenges and future outlook of different types of solar-powered alternative water utilization technologies.