Influence of heat absorber materials sand, soil and paraffin wax in solar still on sustainable water distillation

Abstract

Solar still water distillation process efficiently utilizes solar energy to improve the water quality and provide solution for drinking water crisis in areas facing shortage of pure water. In this work, a conventional solar still was compared to a solar still with heat absorber materials. Heat absorber materials soil, sand and paraffin wax were taken together in pre-specified quantities to check the increment in heat storage capacity of the solar still. Solar still modelling and thermal analysis were done using CATIA and ANSYS software respectively. Soil, sand and paraffin wax taken together as heat absorber materials provided significant increase in the solar still efficiency when compared to the conventional solar still. This study provides insights into improving the efficiency of solar stills using heat absorber materials, which can be beneficial for providing access to clean and safe drinking water in areas facing water scarcity.

Keywords

• Renewable energy
• Solar energy
• Heat absorber materials
• Pure water productivity
• Solar still efficiency
• Payback period