Author(s): Pacheco, André ; Sequeira, Claudia ; Silva, Manuela Fernanda Gomes Moreira da ; Serrão Sousa, Vânia
Date: 2025
Persistent ID: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.1/26800
Origin: Sapientia - Universidade do Algarve
Subject(s): Solar desalination; Freshwater productivity; Water quality assessment; Sustainable water management; Solar radiation
Access to freshwater is a pressing global challenge. Despite being irreplaceable freshwater is an increasingly scarce resource, especially in regions as Southern Europe, due to high human pressure and climate change. Solar desalination presents a low impact solution to produce freshwater from seawater, particularly in sun-rich regions. The main goal of this study was to develop a modular solar desalination system based on a non-intrusive approach, with simple assemblage, installation, and maintenance, to produce freshwater for non-potable purposes. The modular design was chosen to allow scalability and adaptability, enabling effective response to variable water demands in small island communities. The case study is a small island from Algarve, Portugal (Southwest Europe). The study evaluates the performance enhancements accomplished by transitioning from an initial prototype solar desalination unit, smaller and with a simple design, to an enhanced pilot-scale system designed to improve efficiency and water output. The research showed that both systems exhibit a high conductivity removal (higher than 99 %), demonstrating the potential of this technology to produce freshwater from seawater, delivering high-quality desalinated water, across different seasons. Prototype 1 demonstrated limited productivity, around 0.45 L/day.m2, while pilot-scale unit presented a productivity of approximately 6 L/day.m2 in summertime. This substantial improvement reflects the design modifications implemented in the pilot-scale unit, positioning it as a valuable option for water desalination in regions with abundant solar resources. These findings confirm the strong potential of solar desalination as a non-intrusive and effective solution and lays the groundwork for future advancements, focusing on maximising efficiency by exploring innovative materials to enhance solar energy absorption and optimizing operational conditions.
