Performance Enhancement and Sustainable Utilization of Waste Cement Stone and Mountain Stones as Thermal Storage Materials in Solar Distillation

Zakaria Rahal, Rafik Bentobbal, Rodion Lysiuk, Tedjani Yahia Namoussa

Abstract

This study presents an experimental investigation into improving the performance of a single-slope solar still through the integration of economical and locally sourced thermal storage materials: mountain stones and cement stone waste, compared to a reference still. The experiment quantified the impact of these materials on daily water yield and overall thermal efficiency. The results demonstrated a clear performance hierarchy: (MSM > DPC > AR). The MSM unit achieved the highest cumulative daily yield (940 ml), corresponding to a maximum daily thermal efficiency of 28.82%, representing a 42.4% improvement over the reference still (20.23%). Significantly, the DPC unit, using recycled construction waste, achieved a remarkable efficiency of 25.75%, with a daily yield of 840 ml. From an economic standpoint, the performance gains translate into exceptionally rapid returns on investment: the SSms unit recorded the shortest payback period (13.4 days), closely followed by the SScs unit (15.0 days). This result confirms the techno-economic feasibility and environmental viability of using readily available construction waste as an effective construction waste management solution. The successful application of cement waste offers a sustainable and cost-effective model for simultaneously improving water production and managing construction waste, thus providing a robust solution for sustainable desalination in resource-limited regions.

Keywords

Solar energy, Solar Distillation, Pure water, Thermal Storage Material (TSM), Thermal Efficiency.

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References

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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.47238/ijeca.v10i2.287

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