Investigation performance of adsorption system for desalination and power generation using superior adsorbent materials

•An adsorption system for desalination and power generation is feasible.•Experimentally, MIL101 Cr has high adsorption uptake and high adsorption/desorption rates.•Numerically, MIL101 Cr shows the highest amount of freshwater and generated electric power.•60 ℓ/kgads/day of freshwater and 280 W/kgads of power can be generated.•Maximum performance ratio and overall conversion ratio of 76% and 82% can be achieved.