Performance comparison of single and double slope solar still by experimental investigation

Abstract

Life can't sustain without water. Sustainable development goal (SDG-6) emphasizes on access of suitable quality water to all. The amount of available freshwater on earth is very low and declining further. Human health, life quality and environment can be severely affected by the rising water scarcity. Desalination is the most widely adopted method to meet the global water demand. However, the adverse environmental impacts of existing desalination techniques necessitate the quest of sustainable methods. Solar distillation can be used for production of drinking water in a sustainable and economic manner. The current work evaluates and compares the performance of a small size single and a double slope solar still under similar climatic conditions. Both the stills are made of galvanized iron sheet and basin area is 0.36m2. The productivity of single slope solar still (SSSS) and double slope solar still (DSSS) are found to be 2.58L/m2 and 3.19L/m2 respectively. The water yield of double slope solar still is observed to be 23.7% higher than that of single slope solar still. Hence, the double slope solar still is observed to exhibit better performance. © 2025 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston 2025.