Annyn Howle
Pronouns: she/her
Research Mentor(s): Young Geun Park, Assistant research scientist
Research Mentor School/College/Department: Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering
Presentation Date: Thursday, April 22, 2021
Session: Session 2 (11am – 11:50am)
Breakout Room: Room 18
Presenter: 2
Abstract
Water scarcity is a pressing issue that impacts over two thirds of the global population. With populations growing and atmospheric temperatures rising, this problem will only worsen with time. Desalination is considered to be a great solution to this issue, but it can be very costly and energy intensive. This study was carried out to determine the viability of solar optics active nanostructures in water desalination. These nanoparticles have the ability to generate intense localized heat when exposed to sunlight. By creating a panel containing these nanoparticles, we could convert the heat into usable energy. These panels have the potential to power individual, decentralized water treatment plants. In this project, we envisioned the technology to be used for this application by review the current solar water treatment technologies. Furthermore, we created an engineering design for the nanostructure panel by computer-aided design method. We anticipate that our approach could help address the water scarcity issue in addition to being a more sustainable option.
Authors: Annyn Howle, Young Geun Park
Research Method: Laboratory Research
