Augmentation and evaluation of solar still performance: A comprehensive review

Solar desalination is an eco-friendly technique for freshwater supply in arid regions, thus becoming more and more promising. Solar desalination could fulfill the requirements of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) such as SDG 6 for guaranteeing universal sustainable access to drinkable water, SDG 13 for lessening the environmental impacts and preventing climate change, and SDG 14 for achieving sustainable utilization of seas, oceans, and lakes. In this article, the recent research progress of performance augmentation techniques used to boost the freshwater productivity of solar stills (SSs) is reviewed. The discussed techniques include energy storage material, heat techniques, cooling techniques, water stirring, water spraying, forced vibration, solar collectors, reflectors, condensers, multi-stage designs, and evaporation boosting techniques. Floating and multiple-effect solar stills are also discussed. The theory of operation of solar stills and their available designs are discussed. The benefits and limitations of using these augmentation techniques are presented. Performance evaluation of solar stills based on economic, thermal, and life cycle assessment is explained. Conclusions, limitations of previous studies, and future trends are introduced to help researchers in developing new solar still designs.