Evaluation of Water Transfer Capacity of Poplar with Pectinase Treated under the Solar Interface Evaporation

Abstract

Poplar wood, which was used as the absorption material for the solar-driven interfacial evaporation, was treated for 3 days, 6 days and 9 days with the pectinase, and then was simulated for photothermal evaporation test at one standard solar radiation intensity (1 kW⋅m −2 ). The effects of pectinase treatment on cell passage and water migration capacity of poplars were analyzed by the mercury intrusion porosimetry, the scanning electron microscope and fractal theory. It was found that the pit membrane and the ray parenchyma cells of poplar wood were degraded and destroyed after pectinase treatment. Compared with the untreated poplar wood, the evaporation rate of three sections of the specimen was changed. Especially the evaporation rate of radial and tangential direction was significantly increased. At the same time, based on the experimental data and fractal dimension deduction, fractal characteristics could be found in that the structure of poplars treated with pectinase. The porosity decreased with the increase of the fractal dimension in a certain range. It was shown that it is feasible to evaluate solar-driven water migration capacity by using fractal theory.