Assessment of a novel floating humidification-dehumidification desalination system utilizing an air sparging and submerged dehumidifier

Abstract

Water is crucial for life on Earth. Technologies for desalination can help alleviate water shortages by converting salty water into clean water. A new solar-powered floating humidification-dehumidification (F-HDH) desalination system, composed of two main sections—a floating humidifier using an air sparging technique and a submerged dehumidifier—was developed and constructed, along with various equipment, to produce clean water. Field experiments were conducted to determine the optimal operational settings for the F-HDH, which included the compressed air sparging flows. The experimental findings indicated that the best setting for maximum accumulated yield of 0.0499 m 3 /day is a sparging air flow rate of 0.0035 m 3 /s, with an average energy efficiency, gain output ratio (GOR), and specific energy consumption (SEC) of 43.02 %, 0.80, and 3.26 kWh/kg, respectively. From an economic standpoint, the water produced by the system costs about $3.11 per m 3 . The proposed F-HDH system reduced annual CO 2 emissions by 48.87 tons. The F-HDH system enhances heat and moisture transport through solar heating and air sparging, yielding more clean water than previous research. The findings presented are expected to make solar-powered HDH devices more energy-efficient and cost-effective than before. • A solar floating humidification-dehumidification (F-HDH) desalination system was investigated. • The F-HDH encompasses: a floating humidifier with an air sparging and a submerged dehumidifier. • A maximum accumulated yield of 0.0499 m 3 /day was achieved at a 0.0035 m 3 /s sparging air flow rate. • The average energy efficiency and gain output ratio were 59.92% and 0.80, respectively. • According to economics, water produced by the system costs approximately $ 3.11 per m 3 .