The latest advances in solar still desalination systems: Analyzing different geometric configurations

Abstract

Every day, the availability of clean, freshwater sources continues to decline globally. Water supplies that are either untreated or contaminated pose significant health risks, leading to various waterborne diseases. It is crucial for people to purify water immediately while ensuring that the process does not harm the environment. One very clean distillation method for treating water is solar distillation. One method of water purification that creates drinkable water is the solar still (SS). Numerous studies have looked into the design of various SSs and the use of various materials to boost these SS’s production. The most well-known SS kinds were covered in this study, along with the various materials and adjustments that were thought to increase these systems' productivity. These SSs are Single slope SS, Double slope SS, Stepped SS, Wick SS, Pyramid SS, Tubular SS, and Hemispherical SS. Additionally, the price per liter of water generated by the desalination process and the cost of producing the prior systems were examined. Thus, this study compares the expense of water produced per liter and the different designs of SS, providing a tool that facilitates the selection of the optimal SS in terms of operating capacities and expected productivity. According to the findings, modified hemispherical SS (with baffles, reflectors, and Nano-PCM) had the lowest average cost per liter (0.0137 $). Additionally, both modified hemispherical SS and wick SS had the highest average production, 7.6 L.