Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
ADVANCED SUSTAINABLE SYSTEMS, 2025 (SCI-Expanded)
Water scarcity is a critical global issue, and solar steam generation (SSG) using photothermal materials offers a sustainable solution for desalination. However, high costs and complex fabrication often limit their practicality. In this study, a low-cost SSG system is developed by modifying a commercial cellulosic sponge with carbonized Turkish tea waste (CTW). The CTW, obtained via pyrolysis, provided strong light absorption and efficient photothermal conversion, while the sponge served as a lightweight, self-floating substrate with rapid water uptake. The resulting CTW-S composite achieved a water evaporation rate of 1.42 kg m-2 h-1 and a solar-to-vapor conversion efficiency of 83% under one sun illumination. This work demonstrates the potential of biomass-derived materials for scalable, eco-friendly, and low-cost water treatment applications.