Passive solar still: recent advancements in design and related performance

ABSTRACT

This review paper mainly focuses on different types of solar still and highlights the passive solar still. It considers advanced modifications in the design and development of materials, single- and multi-effect solar stills with augmentation of different materials, energy-absorbing insulators, and mechanisms of heat and mass transfer to improve the loss of heat and enhance the productivity of solar stills. The cost–benefit analysis along with the progressive advancement of solar stills is the major contribution of this review. To increase the output of a solar still, the application of advanced modifications is a promising tool, and it is anticipated that more improvements will shortly be added in this area with significant modifications in the design of solar stills.

GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

KEYWORDS:

• Renewable energy
• desalination
• distillation
• sustainability
• solar still

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Anuradha Awasthi, working as a Project Assistant-II in EIS Division in CSIR-NEERI Nagpur. She has completed her Masters in Environmental science from BBA, Central University, Lucknow, India. She started her research career from 2014 in solar energy utilization for water treatment and awarded an M-Phil Degree in 2016. She has published three research papers in her credit. She has received a grant from Government of Gujarat to transfer her technology from Land to Lab. Currently working in the area of water treatment with the use of solar energy with advanced Nano-materials.

Dr Kanchan Kumari is presently working as a scientist at CSIR-NEERI, Nagpur and Asst. Professor, AcSIR. She is working in NEERI, Nagpur since 2011 and actively involved in research and development in the area of Persistent Organic Pollutants, Ecology and Biodiversity Study, EIA study, etc. She has organized more than 20 All India training programme related to waste management and water quality monitoring and also delivered several lectures in several training programmes. She has published more than 40 research publications in peer-reviewed journals, conference, proceedings and technical reports. She has also supervised MSc students for their dissertation work as well as guiding PhD Students and has received various National awards. She has been awarded the Young scientist award, 2005, 2007 and 2009, Scientist of year 2013 award; Best paper presentation award, 2006, 2007 and 2009 and nominated for CSIR Young Scientist Award, 2013.

Hitesh Panchal is a presently working as Assistant Professor in Mechanical Engineering Department at Government Engineering College Patan, Gujarat. His areas of interest include Solar Energy, Internal Combustion Engines and Automobile Engineering. He has authored more than 80 International peer-reviewed journals and been reviewer for more than 40 Journals. He has been awarded for Young Scientist Award, Young Researchers Award, Best PhD Thesis Award; Best Research paper award for seven times in various International Conferences at IITs and NITs.

Ravishankar Sathyamurthy is a presently working in the Department of Automobile Engineering, Hindustan Institute of Technology and Science, Chennai and Post Doctoral Fellow in the Mechanical Power Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Tanta University, Egypt. His areas of interest include solar desalination, renewable energy technologies, thermal energy storage, nanomaterials, bio-diesel and combustion modelling. He has authored and co-authored 70 international peer-reviewed journals and been reviewer for more than 50 journals. He has reviewed 400 articles as a reviewer.

ORCID

Hitesh Panchal http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3787-9712