Experimental and theoretical study of a single-basin solar still in Jordan

This paper presents experimental results of a single-basin solar still using various absorbing materials. The still has equal angle double-sloped covers with an effective basin area of 3 M. The experiments were conducted in Amman, Jordan during the months of April and May. The materials used to enhance the absorptivity of water for solar radiation include dissolved salts, violet dye, and charcoal. The salts were potassium permanganate (KMnO4) and potassium dichromate (K2Cr2O7)- Significant increase in still efficiency and productivity was obtained. For example, the addition of potassium permanganate resulted in 26% improvement in efficiency. Also, a comparison between theoretical and measured water productivity is presented. It was found that there is a good agreement between theory and experiment. (c) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.