article · Applied Water Science
Freshwater scarcity is intensified by industrial expansion, pollution, and the prevalence of arid climates where groundwater is limited and existing water bodies are saline or brackish. Solar desalination provides an environmentally friendly method for producing potable water. Conventional basin solar stills represent the most widely used configuration, but their wider adoption is constrained by low productivity. Recent technological developments focus on novel geometries and operational parameters to increase freshwater yield. Key structural alternatives include tubular, double basin, hemispherical, spherical, and pyramid triangular solar stills. In addition, coupling stills with external solar collectors or photovoltaic cells significantly enhances output. Implementing these advanced modifications and hybrid systems offers a practical route to improving the efficiency of solar water distillation.
Industrial pollution and natural water salinity severely restrict access to clean drinking water in arid and water-stressed regions. Solar desalination offers a sustainable, low-impact method for producing potable water without relying on grid energy. Understanding which design modifications and system integrations effectively increase distillate output enables researchers and engineers to develop more viable, self-sufficient water purification systems.
The reviewed technologies could enable decentralised water purification units for smallholders, domestic users, and remote communities reliant on brackish water. Potential adopters include water treatment developers and micro-utility providers. Given that the underlying evidence assesses experimental geometries and hybrid configurations such as photovoltaic integrations, the technology remains largely at the applied research and testing stage rather than ready for immediate commercial deployment.
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Abstract Water is signified as the gift of nature. However, modern societies are in tremendous need of fresh water due to the abundant industrial sector and factory growth that is leading to more and more such natural resource pollution. Also, there are global arid and desert areas where there are fewer regular rainfalls besides groundwater scarcity. Additionally, although there are abundant water bodies, most of them are not suitable for domestic irrigation, and especially for drinking purposes since they are brackish or saline water. Thus, water desalination is essential with no impact on the environment. Solar desalination is proven to be a sustainable and reasonable way for producing potable water. Numerous sorts of solar stills are introduced, and the most exhibited one is the conventional type of solar still, that is, so-called basin solar still. However, the low productivity of such solar still is signified as its major concern. Researchers have made their efforts to improve the productivity of solar stills through various designs and operating parameters. This detailed review is mainly focused on the various types of solar stills, their analyses and the status of several solar distillers. Throughout the entire work, it is confirmed and recommended to enhance the performance through advanced modifications that are also discussed. Such modifications are including advanced designs such as pyramid triangular solar stills, tubular, double basins and hemispherical and spherical solar stills. Also, integrated systems stills are recommended, such as connected solar stills with photo voltaic cells (PVC) or solar collectors to increase productivity.
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DOI: 10.1007/s13201-024-02188-1
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