Enhancing the solar still performance using different designs of absorber with heat storage materials and different wick materials: A review

Abstract

Despite water covering more than two-thirds of the planet, improving potable water production technologies is a significant issue because of the increased demand for treated water. Solar desalination presents a simple, costless energy and friendly technology which utilizes solar energy and gives great incentive to decrease pollution effects produced by burning fossil fuels. In order to address the global drinking water shortage, particularly in rural and distant locations, this technique can be employed to give pure water to people using a solar still, which in many respects, is one of the most significant feasible uses of solar energy and perfect source of fresh water. However, due to the low productivity of conventional solar still, numerous experiments have been done to increase the daily output of solar stills by employing numerous active strategies to produce far more evaporation and condensation than a simple standard-type distiller. This work highlights the recent methods used for enhancing water productivity and their roles in augmentation productivity, performance, and thermal effectiveness of various solar distiller designs based on previous studies. Future suggestions based on identified research needs were made. This review is considered a reference guide to focus on the most efficient techniques.