Nanoporous sponges for atmospheric water harvesting

用于大气集水的纳米多孔海绵

• 批准号: 561416-2020
• 负责人: Tavares, JasonRobertJR
• 金额: $ 7.08万
• 依托单位: École Polytechnique de Montréal
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Alliance Grants
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2022-01-01 至 2023-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=753718
• 关键词: Nanoporous; sponges; atmospheric; water; harvesting

Water scarcity threatens more and more people in the world - examples from various regions highlight the severity of this issue. Cape Town (South Africa) imposed stringent water restrictions in 2018 in response to shortages. Closer to home, water restrictions were put into place in Quebec in the summer of 2020, and First Nation communities have been confronted with fresh water issues for years. These examples illustrate that water scarcity is a ubiquitous issue, even in Canada, and this is exacerbated by climate change. Alternate water sources, including adsorption from the atmosphere, are needed to secure a fresh water supply. Nanoporous sponges (NPS) are new carbon-based adsorbents synthesized via the pyrolysis of low-cost materials, achieving comparable performance to metal organic framework (MOF) based systems, but at significantly lower cost. This material was developed at Polytechnique Montreal, in partnership with McGill University and Awn Nanotech, via a collaborative research endeavour started in 2017. The proposed research aims to bridge the gap between lab scale prototyping and end-user uptake by addressing key fundamental issues. Specifically, we aim to: (1) Create a roadmap for NPS synthesis scale-up and evaluate new methods for improved synthesis and functionalization; (2) Identify the key parameters impacting water capture and subsequent release through both theoretical modelling and experimental validation, and quantify energy requirements; and (3) Fabricate and test next generations of water capture prototypes based on NPS technology and benchmark them against other adsorbents, while validating water quality. This high-risk, high-reward project will first and foremost impact Canada's at-risk population - First Nation communities will be key participants in prototype evaluation, with the collaboration of community leaders and social scientists well-versed in technology uptake. Further effects will be felt in the Canadian economy, both through direct markets, but also through the creation of high-value jobs in the advanced materials sector, and the establishment of Canada as a leader in the field of water resource generation, committed to helping vulnerable communities affected by water scarcity.

水资源短缺威胁着世界上越来越多的人——来自不同地区的例子凸显了这个问题的严重性。开普敦（南非）于 2018 年实施了严格的用水限制，以应对水资源短缺。言归正传，魁北克省于 2020 年夏季实施了用水限制，原住民社区多年来一直面临淡水问题。这些例子表明，水资源短缺是一个普遍存在的问题，即使在加拿大也是如此，而且气候变化加剧了这一问题。需要替代水源，包括从大气中吸收水，以确保淡水供应。纳米多孔海绵（NPS）是通过低成本材料热解合成的新型碳基吸附剂，其性能可与基于金属有机框架（MOF）的系统相媲美，但成本却显着降低。这种材料是蒙特利尔理工学院与麦吉尔大学和 Awn Nanotech 合作，通过 2017 年启动的一项合作研究成果开发的。拟议的研究旨在通过解决关键的基本问题来弥合实验室规模原型设计和最终用户采用之间的差距。具体来说，我们的目标是：（1）制定 NPS 合成放大路线图，并评估改进合成和功能化的新方法； （2）通过理论建模和实验验证确定影响水捕获和随后释放的关键参数，并量化能源需求； (3) 制造和测试基于 NPS 技术的下一代集水原型，并将其与其他吸附剂进行基准测试，同时验证水质。这个高风险、高回报的项目将首先影响加拿大的高危人群——原住民社区将成为原型评估的主要参与者，并与社区领袖和精通技术应用的社会科学家合作。加拿大经济将受到进一步的影响，不仅通过直接市场，而且通过在先进材料领域创造高价值就业机会，以及使加拿大成为水资源生产领域的领导者，致力于帮助受缺水影响的脆弱社区。