Nanofiber-based aerogel integrating photothermal and photocatalytic properties for efficient wastewater treatment

Solar interfacial evaporation (SIE) is a technology for obtaining clean water resources with high energy efficiency, low cost, and small carbon footprint. However, current SIE devices focus on seawater desalination treatment and pay little attention to organic pollutants in sewage, which greatly limits their application fields. Herein, we demonstrate an aerogel integrated by PVA-co-PE/ZrC composite nanofiber and hydrophilic TiO2 nanoparticles (H–TiO2 NPs) for efficient SIE and photocatalytic degradation of organics in wastewater. The aerogel has excellent underwater superelasticity and achieves a water evaporation rate of 2.38 kg m−2 h−1 under one sun (1 kW m−2). In addition, the chemical oxygen demand (COD) of the sewage treated by the aerogel could reduce from 5400 mg L−1 to 170 mg L−1, which fully satisfies the sewage discharge standard. This work provides a new possibility for water treatment by SIE and shows great potential in industrial and domestic wastewater treatment.