IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/energy/v36y2011i1p78-85.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Desalination using solar energy: Towards sustainability

Author

Listed:
  • Gude, Veera Gnaneswar
  • Nirmalakhandan, Nagamany
  • Deng, Shuguang

Abstract

This paper describes the theoretical rationale for a new low temperature phase-change desalination process, and six examples of applications to illustrate how this process can be engineered for sustainable desalination. In this process, brackish water is evaporated at near-ambient temperatures under near-vacuum pressures created by the barometric head without any mechanical energy input. Thermodynamic advantages and benefits of low temperature phase-change desalination are discussed and results from simulation studies and a prototype test system are presented. Three of the examples illustrate how the proposed process can be driven by solar energy: a) utilizing direct solar energy; b) inclusion of an external reflector; c) utilizing photovoltaic energy during non-sunlight hours. The other examples illustrate how the proposed process can be driven by waste heat: i) waste heat rejected by an absorption refrigeration unit driven by grid power; ii) waste heat rejected by an absorption refrigeration unit driven by solar collectors; and iii) waste heat rejected by an absorption refrigeration unit supported by a photovoltaic array. Merits of utilizing solar energy and process waste heat in reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions are discussed in detail.

Suggested Citation

  • Gude, Veera Gnaneswar & Nirmalakhandan, Nagamany & Deng, Shuguang, 2011. "Desalination using solar energy: Towards sustainability," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 36(1), pages 78-85.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:energy:v:36:y:2011:i:1:p:78-85
    DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2010.11.008
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360544210006341
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.energy.2010.11.008?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Badar, M.Affan & Zubair, Syed M. & Al-Farayedhi, Abdulghani A., 1993. "Second-law-based thermoeconomic optimization of a sensible heat thermal energy storage system," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 18(6), pages 641-649.
    2. Gude, Veera Gnaneswar & Nirmalakhandan, Nagamany & Deng, Shuguang, 2010. "Renewable and sustainable approaches for desalination," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 14(9), pages 2641-2654, December.
    3. Kalogirou, Soteris, 1997. "Survey of solar desalination systems and system selection," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 22(1), pages 69-81.
    4. Kabeel, A.E., 2009. "Performance of solar still with a concave wick evaporation surface," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 34(10), pages 1504-1509.
    5. Lund, Henrik & Duić, Neven & Krajac˘ić, Goran & Graça Carvalho, Maria da, 2007. "Two energy system analysis models: A comparison of methodologies and results," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 32(6), pages 948-954.
    6. Deng, Runya & Xie, Lixin & Lin, Hu & Liu, Jie & Han, Wei, 2010. "Integration of thermal energy and seawater desalination," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 35(11), pages 4368-4374.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Plappally, A.K. & Lienhard V, J.H., 2012. "Energy requirements for water production, treatment, end use, reclamation, and disposal," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 16(7), pages 4818-4848.
    2. Prado de Nicolás, Amanda & Molina-García, Ángel & García-Bermejo, Juan Tomás & Vera-García, Francisco, 2023. "Desalination, minimal and zero liquid discharge powered by renewable energy sources: Current status and future perspectives," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 187(C).
    3. Li, Chennan & Goswami, Yogi & Stefanakos, Elias, 2013. "Solar assisted sea water desalination: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 19(C), pages 136-163.
    4. Gude, Veera Gnaneswar, 2015. "Energy storage for desalination processes powered by renewable energy and waste heat sources," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 137(C), pages 877-898.
    5. Gorjian, Shiva & Ghobadian, Barat, 2015. "Solar desalination: A sustainable solution to water crisis in Iran," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 571-584.
    6. Huang, Jian & He, Yurong & Hu, Yanwei & Wang, Xinzhi, 2018. "Steam generation enabled by a high efficiency solar absorber with thermal concentration," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 165(PB), pages 1282-1291.
    7. Van Vang Le & Lan Huong Nguyen, 2019. "Design And Fabrication Of Distillation Equipment Of Fresh Water From The Seawater By The Use Of The Waste Heat From Diesel Engines," Journal of Mechanical Engineering Research & Developments (JMERD), Zibeline International Publishing, vol. 42(2), pages 79-83, March.
    8. Rubio Rodríguez, M.A. & Ruyck, J. De & Díaz, P. Roque & Verma, V.K. & Bram, S., 2011. "An LCA based indicator for evaluation of alternative energy routes," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 88(3), pages 630-635, March.
    9. Østergaard, P.A. & Lund, H. & Thellufsen, J.Z. & Sorknæs, P. & Mathiesen, B.V., 2022. "Review and validation of EnergyPLAN," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 168(C).
    10. Leonard Goke & Jens Weibezahn & Christian von Hirschhausen, 2021. "A collective blueprint, not a crystal ball: How expectations and participation shape long-term energy scenarios," Papers 2112.04821, arXiv.org, revised Dec 2022.
    11. Jani, Hardik K. & Modi, Kalpesh V., 2018. "A review on numerous means of enhancing heat transfer rate in solar-thermal based desalination devices," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 93(C), pages 302-317.
    12. Calise, Francesco & Cipollina, Andrea & Dentice d’Accadia, Massimo & Piacentino, Antonio, 2014. "A novel renewable polygeneration system for a small Mediterranean volcanic island for the combined production of energy and water: Dynamic simulation and economic assessment," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 135(C), pages 675-693.
    13. Kalidasa Murugavel, K. & Anburaj, P. & Samuel Hanson, R. & Elango, T., 2013. "Progresses in inclined type solar stills," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 20(C), pages 364-377.
    14. Rahman, Syed Masiur & Khondaker, A.N., 2012. "Mitigation measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and enhance carbon capture and storage in Saudi Arabia," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 16(5), pages 2446-2460.
    15. Skroufouta, S. & Baltas, E., 2021. "Investigation of hybrid renewable energy system (HRES) for covering energy and water needs on the Island of Karpathos in Aegean Sea," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 173(C), pages 141-150.
    16. Behnam Zakeri & Samuli Rinne & Sanna Syri, 2015. "Wind Integration into Energy Systems with a High Share of Nuclear Power—What Are the Compromises?," Energies, MDPI, vol. 8(4), pages 1-35, March.
    17. Ali O. Al-Sulttani & Amimul Ahsan & Basim A. R. Al-Bakri & Mahir Mahmod Hason & Nik Norsyahariati Nik Daud & S. Idrus & Omer A. Alawi & Elżbieta Macioszek & Zaher Mundher Yaseen, 2022. "Double-Slope Solar Still Productivity Based on the Number of Rubber Scraper Motions," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(21), pages 1-34, October.
    18. Mito, Mohamed T. & Ma, Xianghong & Albuflasa, Hanan & Davies, Philip A., 2019. "Reverse osmosis (RO) membrane desalination driven by wind and solar photovoltaic (PV) energy: State of the art and challenges for large-scale implementation," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 112(C), pages 669-685.
    19. Nogueira Vilanova, Mateus Ricardo & Perrella Balestieri, José Antônio, 2014. "Energy and hydraulic efficiency in conventional water supply systems," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 30(C), pages 701-714.
    20. Prakash, P. & Velmurugan, V., 2015. "Parameters influencing the productivity of solar stills – A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 585-609.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:energy:v:36:y:2011:i:1:p:78-85. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/energy .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.