Reduce evaporation in water storage tanks by hydrophobic Leca in the lab

Evaporative loss reduction has recently received attention due to increasing water demand and decreasing availability. For this reason, researchers are trying to produce and use high efficiency with easy and cheap materials and methods. In this research, Leca stone has been hydrophobized by stearic acid and used to reduce water evaporation in tanks in a laboratory environment. The structural properties and hydrophobicity of the hydrophobic Leca coating were analyzed by BET (Brunauer Emmett Teller), (Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy) FT-IR, XRD (X-ray diffraction spectroscopy) and (Thermo Gravimetric Analysis) TGA. The stability of the synthesized hydrophobic sample is more than 200 days, and its contact angle is 143°. The evaporation efficiency of hydrophobic Leca and hexadecanol was investigated at 5, 25, and 40 °C and in the presence of wind and sunlight. It prevented water evaporation by 26 and 30%, respectively, at an average relative humidity of 56%.