Solar Energy for Water Purification A Historical Perspective!

Greek navigators used to boil sea water and condense the vapours on
Sponges to produce fresh water

Arab alchemists practiced solar distillation using polished Damascus

concave

Mirrors 1551

Della Porte used wide earthen pots exposed to the most intense heat of
the

Solar rays to evaporate water and collect the condensate drop by drop into
vases placed underneath

Lavoisier used large glass lenses to concentrate solar energy on to the

contents

Of distillation flasks

Charles Wilson, 1872, has designed and erected the first conventional
solar

Distillation apparatus near Las Salinars in Northern Chile to supply fresh

Water to the workers and animals of the nearby nitrate mine. Brackish water
was
Used as feed and interestingly the plant was in operation for 4o years

Subsequently several attempts from all over the world have been
reported

Where in solar energy, a cost free energy source, is used for the process of
Desalination

Process Developed for Desalination of water

A simple, highly reproducible, economical desalination process, where in
the
Unique potential of the solar energy as well as the adsorption capacity of
granular
Activated carbon have been effectively used, has been developed.

 Salient Features of the Process:

i. Unique combination of solar energy and the adsorption ability of inexpensive
Activated carbon
ii. Both the solar energy and activated carbon are economically viable options
For producing pure and clean drinking water
iii. After several cycles of desalination process the activated carbon bed
Covered with salt can be washed and the adsorbent can be reused.
iv. In addition, during regeneration of the sorbent, the salts recovered from
Activated carbon serve as a byproduct of several chemicals.
v. The test solution used for desalination experiments (1 M Brine solution,
58 wt. % salinity) is twice as saline as sea water (38 wt. % salinity). Thus the
Process developed will be much more effective for sea water and still more
Efficient for ground water that contains traces of contaminants or impurities.
vi. The apparatus (reactor) is so designed that it is portable, light in weight, easy
to fabricate, handle, carry and operate with simple know-how.
vii. The device designed can be deployed in remote rural areas, sea coasts (for
sea water desalination) and also in disaster relief camps and will be helpful in
situations demanding clean drinking water.
viii.

ix.

Simplicity in operation as no moving parts are involved, modest costs of

installation and operation, use of low temperature and abundantly
available and renewable solar energy for the evaporation of saline water
makes the process and device appealing.
Unlike other distillation based processes, the current process works at
Atmospheric pressure.

x. Can cater effectively to the local decentralized needs of drinking water. Suits
well to Indian climatic conditions.

Description of the Experimental Set up

The experimental set up comprises of a rectangular shaped
Base made of aluminum with a length of 12 and breath of 10.
The metal wall is raised to a height of 4.5 at one end of the
Base (towards the breath direction) and in the exactly opposite
Direction the metal wall is raised to a height of 2.

The door made of glass is fixed on top of the based at a

Height of 4.5 at one end and at a height of 2 at the other

End making an angle of 18 towards the opening end of the
Door.

The two opening ends on the length direction of the base

Are then raised forming a closed reaction vessel made of

Aluminum metal and comprising of glass door.

The reactor (reaction) vessel is made in to two chambers

(Top chamber and bottom chamber) placing a partition at

About 2 length towards the opening end of the reactor.

The top chamber is filled with granular activated carbon and

The bottom chamber is meant for collection of purified water

Obtained by the process of evaporation followed by condensation.

1 M NaCl solution is continuously fed into the reactor at a

Specified flow rate from a brian solution reservoir (500 ml

Polyethylene wash bottle).
The test solution reservoir is connected to the inlet of the
Reactor through rubber tube of suitable diameter and the
Reservoir is placed at a sufficient height allowing free flow of
1 M NaCl solution into the reaction chamber loaded with
activated carbon.

The photographs of the solar energy powered reactor packed

With granular activated carbon are shown.

Granular Activated Carbon used for Desalination Process