Front Cover https://chemistry-europe.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/chem.202203929

Singapore scientists have demonstrated that fruit peels can be used to purify water, an innovation that can be employed in remote areas and disaster zones where electricity access is limited. The findings were published in Chemistry A European Journal

Every year, approximately 20,000 tonnes of fruit waste is produced in Singapore, with the majority generated by the fruit juicing industry, which uses 50

Using a two-step carbonization method, common fruit wastes such as coconut husks, orange peels and banana peels were used to create MXene materials. These MXene materials were then used to create a solar absorber for use in a solar still for water desalination.

The study demonstrated that MXenes derived from fruit wastes had an excellent light-to-heat conversion efficiency of 90 Like graphite, MXenes are not only naturally conductive but also have a 2D structure, which makes them useful for storing charges in batteries and could soon be used in the production of batteries. Therefore, the MXene produced from fruit waste has potential applications far beyond water purification.
The main challenge is identifying appropriate materials for an eco-friendly and more efficient solar still. Organic wastes are typically mixed with other impurities, which are not organic in nature. As a result, the use of existing technologies to produce pure materials is limited. Future work is required to sort out the waste material types, such as using artificial intelligence in conjunction with machine learning to improve the quality of the waste management process.