A Low-Cost and Low-Tech Modular Solar Still as a Reliable and Sustainable Water Source

Abstract

The principle of solar water purification or solar distillation is one of the few feasible possibilities of drinking water treatment for many regions of the world, which suffer from groundwater contamination by fluorides and/or heavy metals. The implementation of an innovative low-cost, low-tech design of a modular solar distillation system is presented. It covers all aspects of sustainability, in the social, natural and economical dimensions: apart from facilitating dissemination by economic small scale production, which uses broadly available materials, the modularity of the described system permits its easy adaptation to the required drinking water output. It is completely user-serviceable and does not require additional energy sources. A distillate yield of up to 3.9 L per day and square meter is achieved. All analyzed contaminants of the raw water were effectively removed in the distillation process. Furthermore, a partial remineralization of the distillate is achieved by the use of a concrete trough in the module, thus making it suitable for human consumption.