Solar-powered graphene desalination unit for national water security
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Climate variability, aging infrastructure, and the energy intensity of conventional desalination are constraining reliable freshwater supply. This manuscript proposes the Solar‑Powered Graphene Desalination Unit (SPGDU), a conceptual, distributed desalination architecture that integrates (i) solar‑photothermal preheating/evaporation with engineered salt management, (ii) a nanoporous graphene‑oxide membrane stage for selective transport and pretreatment, and (iii) direct‑drive photovoltaic electrodialysis (PV‑ED) operated with a flow‑commanded current controller to reduce or eliminate battery dependence. The design targets resilient community‑scale production from brackish and seawater (order‑of‑magnitude 2–5 m³ day⁻¹ per modular unit) while incorporating basic sensor monitoring and cyber‑resilience considerations. We synthesize literature‑reported performance envelopes, provide an integration schematic with flow pathways and control interfaces, and outline a quantitative scaling envelope for salt crystallization avoidance and/or harvesting. SPGDU is presented as a framework to guide prototyping, validation, and techno‑economic assessment for water‑security applications.
Source: Desalination and Water Treatment
Author: Kamal Babu Gokanakonda
Language: English
Field: Energy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,000
OpenAlex ID: W7121451890