Interfacial evaporation-induced localized multi-field coupling enables efficient co-recovery of freshwater and nitrates

Recovering nitrate from surface water can help address interconnected environmental, resource, and energy challenges. In response, we have developed a bioinspired photothermal evaporation platform (BPEP) for the efficient co-recovery of low-concentration nitrate and freshwater. Through the evaporation-induced localized multi-field (flowing, concentration, temperature) enhancement effect, the BPEP achieves a high nitrate recovery capacity of 8510 g m-2 under 1 sun illumination, approximately 6.7 times higher than under dark conditions. The flowing field is identified as the dominant contributor, accounting for nearly 80% of the total enhancement. In outdoor testing, BPEP demonstrates a high nitrate recovery of…

• NN
  National Natural Science Foundation of China

  Awards: 52076217, 52206216
• CS
  Central South University