article · Water Science & Technology
An experimental investigation demonstrates that integrating snail shell biomaterials into a solar still basin enhances clean water production compared to a conventional solar still. Snail shells facilitate saline water reduction and raise water temperatures, leading to an overall 4.3 percent increase in freshwater productivity. The augmented system achieves improvements of 4.5 percent in energy efficiency and 3.5 percent in exergy efficiency over conventional designs. From a financial perspective, the modified system lowers the cost per litre of distilled water by 3.4 percent and shortens the estimated payback period to 141 days, six days faster than the standard still. While calculated carbon dioxide emissions over a ten-year operational lifespan rise by roughly 14.6 percent, the modified still substantially increases estimated carbon credits earned. This approach demonstrates that repurposing snail shell waste in solar distillation yields economic and thermal performance gains.
Solar distillation offers a sustainable method for producing clean water, but basic designs often suffer from limited efficiency. Repurposing discarded snail shells as functional biomaterials within distillation basins provides an accessible method to boost clean water output, accelerate financial payback, and turn biological waste into a valuable operational component.
The findings point to direct applications in solar-powered water desalination and organic waste management. Potential users include manufacturers and operators of small-scale solar stills looking to reduce production costs per litre and shorten payback periods. As an applied and tested laboratory-scale experiment, the approach requires further field testing and scaling before commercial deployment.
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In this current investigation, the experimental performance of a solar still basin was significantly enhanced by incorporating snail shell biomaterials. The outcomes of the snail shell-augmented solar still basin (SSSS) are compared with those of a conventional solar still (CSS). The utilization of snail shells proved to facilitate the reduction of saline water and enhance its temperature, thereby improving the productivity of the SSSS. Cumulatively, the SSSS productivity was improved by 4.3% over CSS. Furthermore, the SSSS outperformed in energy and exergy efficiency of CSS by 4.5 and 3.5%, respectively. Economically, the cost per liter of distillate (CPL) for the CSS was 3.4% higher than SSSS. Moreover, the SSSS showed a shorter estimated payback period (PBP) of 141 days which was 6 days less than CSS. Considering the environmental impact, the observed CO<sub>2</sub> emissions from the SSSS were approximately 14.6% higher than CSS over its 10-year lifespan. Notably, the SSSS exhibited a substantial increase in the estimated carbon credit earned (CCE) compared to the CSS. Ultimately, the research underscores the efficacy of incorporating snail shells into solar still basins as a commendable approach to organic waste management, offering economic benefits without compromising environmental considerations<b>.</b>
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DOI: 10.2166/wst.2024.189
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