Experimental Studies on the Performance of Metallic and Non-Metallic Basin Tray Materials in the Solar Still for Renewable Energy Solutions

Abstract

Depletion and over-exploitation of water resources, owing to an ever-increasing population and industrialization-driven urbanization, necessitates the purification of brackish water and the recycling of treated contaminated water as a conservative measure. Renewable Energy Solutions, especially using solar stills, are the simplest among purification choices despite their limitations. The volume of distillate collected, and performance are influenced perceptibly by various parameters. In this article, the performance and distillate production of the passive double-slope solar still with Metallic basin trays have been compared with those of the same with a glass fiber-reinforced Plastic basin tray. The experimental study indicates that copper, as a basin material, has exhibited better performance, with higher distillate output among the choices. However, the performance and distillate production of a solar still with a GFRP-made basin are comparable to those of other metallic tray materials, considering cost, life, and ease of maintenance.