In Situ Thermal and Electricity Utilization of Photovoltaic Devices by Membrane Distillation and Electrochemical Advanced Oxidation for Desalination and Degradation of Wastewater

Abstract Freshwater shortages and water pollution have threatened the sustainable development of human beings. Efficient and sustainable technologies are urgently needed to achieve seawater desalination and wastewater treatment. Here, a hybrid device is developed consisting of photovoltaics (PV), membrane distillation (MD), and electrochemical advanced oxidation processes (EAOPs) for sustainable freshwater production and wastewater treatment. The device obtains freshwater from seawater with a stable rate of 0.97 kg m^–2 h^–1 under 1 sun, and the produced clean water reaches the drinking water limit of the WHO. This device also obtains freshwater from a methylene blue (MB) solution at a stable water production rate of 0.75 kg m^–2 h^–1, and the concentrated MB solution demonstrates a degradation rate of 96.05% by in situ degradation of EAOPs. The high water‐production performance and degradation performance is attributed to the well‐designed structure of the three stages PV‐MD‐EAOPs device, which enables both the latent heat recycle of water evaporation and the contaminants enrichment of wastewater. To summarize, a new path is explored for in situ thermal and electricity utilization of photovoltaic for efficient treatment of wastewater, which is a meaningful way for synchronous clean water production and wastewater treatment.