Fe-Cu/biochar/aerogel interface evaporator for efficient evaporation and VOCs removal

Solar-driven interfacial evaporation (SDIE) is a low-energy and environmentally friendly technology for clean-water production. However, when applied to complex waters, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can readily enter the condensate. In this study, a sequential strategy involving carbonization followed by composite fabrication was used to construct a CuO@Fe 2 O 3 @CC-SA (CFCC-SA) bimetallic oxide aerogel evaporator with both mechanical stability and flexibility for efficient water evaporation and VOC degradation. Synergistic interactions between Fe and Cu enhanced both the photothermal conversion efficiency and Fenton-like catalytic activity of the material. Meanwhile, the porous aerogel network provided excellent hydrophilicity and rapid water transport, thereby promoting efficient evaporation. Under 1.0 kW m –2 irradiation, the CFCC-SA evaporator exhibited an evaporation rate of 2.06 kg·m –2 ·h –1 , corresponding to an approximately 20% increase relative to the monometallic CuO@CC-SA evaporator. For phenol, CFCC-SA achieved removal efficiencies of 98.4% in the condensate and 63.8% in the raffinate. Furthermore, CFCC-SA maintained high phenol removal performance over a broad pH range and under highly saline conditions (20 wt% NaCl). Overall, by integrating efficient water transport with synergistic bimetallic catalysis, the CFCC-SA evaporator offers a promising strategy for designing SDIE systems that simultaneously enable high-rate water evaporation and VOC removal. Download: Download high-res image (272KB) Download: Download full-size image