A wet material having at least a liquid portion is dewatered by providing one or more wicking members of wicking material arranged to transfer moisture passively by wicking therethrough from a contacting portion in contact with the wet material to an evaporating portion where the transferred liquid portion is arranged to be evaporated. In some embodiments conductive elements are included in the wicking member to assist in distributing heat across the wicking member which enhances the evaporation of moisture transferred therethrough from the wet material. In yet further embodiments, a condenser member is provided in proximity to the evaporating portion of the wicking member so as to be arranged to condense and collect at least some of the liquid portion evaporated from the wicking member.

An evaporative system for separating solid salt from a saline solution is provided. The system comprises conveyor belts arranged to move the saline solution and evaporate water from it, using natural solar radiation, reflected solar radiation, mechanically induced evaporation and heat storing materials, which accumulate heat during the day and release the heat during the night to allow continuous production. The system may be adapted to different saline solution sources and terrain conditions as well as to varying meteorological conditions. The conveyor belts may be interspaced by separators that remove from the saline solution each type of salt as it solidifies on the corresponding conveyor belt. Conveyor belts may further be used to deliver the solid salt or wastes back to saline solution source.

An apparatus and method for the distillation of ocean and brackish water that includes a means for using the ambient temperatures of seawater and air to continually transfer the heat energy, from the outer perimeters of the system, back into the, centrally located, evaporation chamber and insulation for preventing heat from escaping to the atmosphere. The insulation comprises a first and second wall surrounding the basic assemblies of a desalination system in which the space between the first and second wall is under low partial vacuum and is partially filled with an insulation material for structural support. The system provides a feed through means that prevent heat transfer through the structural connections between the first and second walls. The system provides an evaporation system for flash evaporation by atomizing the input contaminated water, preheated by the heat of condensation into very small liquid droplets, which are then sprayed into a stream of hot dry air. The liquid rapidly evaporates leaving behind hot dry solids that is recaptured and used to preheat the input contaminated water.

A multi-function solar panel, the panel being of the tilted tray type which is divided into three chambers, one chamber being used for electricity generation, and cooling of the PV panel and partial preheating of the feed water to a still, one for processing the feed water to produce potable water and the other for water storage and other ancillary devices used in the production process and PAYG functionality of the multi-function solar panel.

Disclosed herein are conductive polymer-based composites. The composites include a conductive polymer entangled in a thin substrate. The composites may be hydrophobic or hydrophilic. The hydrophilic composites may be used as solar steamers for water purification, and the hydrophobic composites can be used to sequester hydrophobic materials, such as oil, from watery mixes.

A water generation system for generating liquid water from a process gas containing water vapor is disclosed. In various embodiments, the water generation systems comprise a solar thermal unit, a condenser and a controller configured to operate the water generation system between a loading operational mode and a release operational mode for the production of liquid water. A method of generating water from a process gas is disclosed herein. In various embodiments, the method comprises flowing a process gas into a solar thermal unit, transitioning from the loading operational mode to a release operational mode; flowing a regeneration fluid into the solar thermal unit and the condenser during the release operational mode; and, condensing water vapor from the regeneration fluid to produce liquid water.

A solar distillation system includes at least one solar panel to reflect sunlight, and a distillation tube adjacent the at least one solar panel. The distillation tube is to receive brine to be processed into fresh water. The brine is to flow through the distillation tube and is heated by the reflected sunlight. A first supplemental distillation unit is connected to a first end of the distillation tube and has a curved surface perpendicular to the distillation tube to receive the reflected sunlight. A second supplemental distillation unit is connected to a second end of the distillation tube and has a curved surface perpendicular to the distillation tube to receive the reflected sunlight. The first and second supplemental distillation units each include sprayers to spray brine onto the respective curved surfaces to be further processed into fresh water.

Apparatus and methods for distilling fresh water from seawater or from impure water by evaporation and condensation, as a system which may be characterized as a direct-heating continuous-flow solar thermal still, with heat supplying an evaporator primarily by solar energy from incident or reflecting sunlight, cooling supplying a condenser primarily by cold seawater piping from deep below the sea surface or from another cold-water source, with evaporator operating in a range of pressures from atmospheric at sea level to a pressure reduced below atmospheric pressure at sea level. The system maximizes the thermal gradient from the hot side of the evaporator to the cold side of the condenser, minimizing the energy flows and mass flows required for a given unit of fresh water output.

In an example method, first electrical power is generated using one or more solar panels, and a water level rise of a sea is mitigated, at least in part, using a water processing system that is at least partially powered by the first electrical power. Mitigating the water level rise of the sea includes extracting saline water from the sea, desalinating the saline water, directing the desalinated water to one or more turbine generators, generating second electrical power using the one or more turbine generators, and directing the desalinated water from the one or more turbine generators into one or more aquifers. The one or more aquifers are hydraulically isolated from the sea.

Systems and methods for producing water from process gas are provided herein. The systems include a water generating system that adjusts the pressure and temperature conditions surrounding a hygroscopic material in order to release water vapor generated by exposure of the hygroscopic material to the process gas.