Valorization of plastic waste for interfacial solar evaporation: A sustainable pathway towards clean water generation

Plastic pollution and water scarcity are urgent global challenges that demand sustainable solutions. Municipal solid waste (MSW), including plastic waste, is a crucial environmental challenge that contributes to global pollution and threatens ecosystems. MSW can be used in various applications beyond disposal, such as energy recovery systems, biogas production, the development of construction materials, and desalination. For instance, in interfacial solar evaporation (ISE), waste plastic efficiently produces water through solar-driven steam generation. Plastic materials possess properties such as low thermal conductivity and hydrophobicity that can enhance water evaporation efficiency. This review evaluates recent advances in plastic upcycling strategies and fabrication techniques for enhancing ISE. ISE systems using plastic garbage bags with direct repurposing reached a water evaporation rate of 8.96 kg⋅m−2⋅h−1. Repurposing plastic waste into solar evaporators, transparent solar stills, and insulation materials significantly improves water evaporation efficiency. In addition, the integration of plastic waste in ISE contributes to multiple Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including Clean Water and Sanitation (SDG 6), Responsible Consumption and Production (SDG 12), and Climate Action (SDG 13). Furthermore, integrating waste management strategies with innovative water purification technologies enables scholars to assess the potential of waste plastic in advancing ISE for more sustainable water evaporation.