Abstract

ABSTRACT: The majority ofdesalination systems are energy demanding, requiring high-grade energy sourcessuch as natural gas, electricity, oil, and fossil fuels. These processes resultin carbon footprints, which contribute to the loss of the ozone layer as well asthe development of health risks for humans. It also contributes to globalwarming, which is a hot subject these days and poses a danger to thesustainability of human life. When it comes to heat-to-heat conversion, thepossibility of harvesting solar energy is the most efficient and effective.Thermal desalination is a low-temperature application procedure that requiresjust a one-time investment yet produces water for a long period of time (up to10 to 15 years). Various sun thermal desalination technologies, includingdirect and indirect ones, have been described in this work. When water comes tomedium and large-scale desalination systems, indirect methods are preferred,but direct methods, such as those utilising solar stills, are better suited forsmall and medium-sized systems. With a few simple modifications, theperformance of low-cost solar stills may be significantly increased byincluding a variety of readily available materials. In order to supply thedaily need for fresh drinking water, these low-cost stills may be readily andinexpensively constructed. They are sufficient for the needs of tiny homes andcommunities living on islands and in coastal areas that have limited financialresources. It may also be used for the distillation of brackish water for thebenefit of the local inhabitants that live along river banks. A system likethis is also suited for areas impacted by fluoride since it removes fluoridefrom the water. Using low-cost solar stills, arsenic, mercury, cadmium,coliform bacteria, viruses, and bacteria may be removed from water withoutsacrificing quality.

Keywords: Solar energy, Desalination methods, Fresh water,Low-cost solar stills.