Sustainable Solar Desalination Utilizing Wood Waste-Based Phase Change Materials: Performance Enhancement and Comparative Analysis

Abstract

Addressing global freshwater scarcity requires innovative, sustainable technologies. Solar desalination, a renewable and eco-friendly process, converts saline water into potable water using solar energy. Nonetheless, its productivity is often limited by the intermittent nature of solar radiation. The integration of phase change materials (PCMs) enhances thermal energy storage, enabling distillation beyond daylight hours. This paper presents a detailed analysis of wood waste-based PCM composites in solar desalination systems and provides a comparative assessment against conventional PCMs such as paraffin wax, stearic acid, and lauric acid. The study highlights improvements in freshwater yield, economic viability, and sustainability, demonstrating the potential of harnessing biomass residues to advance energy-efficient water purification technologies.

Introduction

1. Background and Need

• Freshwater demand is rising due to population growth, industrialization, and climate change.

• Conventional desalination (like reverse osmosis) is energy-intensive and environmentally taxing.

• Solar desalination offers a sustainable alternative, using solar energy to purify seawater or brackish water.

2. Challenge with Solar Stills

• Traditional solar stills are limited to daytime operation due to their reliance on sunlight.

• This limits daily freshwater output and efficiency.

3. Solution: Phase Change Materials (PCMs)

• PCMs store thermal energy by melting during the day and releasing heat at night, allowing extended water evaporation after sunset.

• Common PCMs include:

  • Paraffin wax (petroleum-based)

  • Fatty acids (organic, biodegradable)

  • Salt hydrates (inorganic)

• PCMs enhance operational duration but may face issues like leakage or flammability.

4. Innovation: Wood Waste-Based PCM Composites

• Wood waste (e.g., sawdust) is used as a porous matrix to encapsulate PCMs, offering:

  • Leakage control

  • Thermal insulation

  • Mechanical durability

• Fabrication involves melting PCM, impregnating wood waste via vacuum/pressure, and sealing the composite.

5. Performance Results

• Wood waste PCM solar stills show:

  • 30% to 80% yield improvement over basic stills.

  • 2.0–2.2 liters/day per 0.54 m² area.

  • Extended heat retention up to 7 hours post-sunset.

  • Stable performance over 50+ thermal cycles.

Comparison with Traditional PCMs (Table Summary):

6. Sustainability and Economic Benefits

• Utilizes wood waste from forestry and agriculture.

• Supports circular economy by converting waste into useful thermal energy storage.

• Cost-effective, low-impact, and ideal for rural or off-grid communities.

7. Future Research Needs

• Improve PCM loading capacity and fabrication methods.

• Test performance across different climates and seasons.

• Explore hybrid desalination systems.

• Investigate other biomass materials for PCM encapsulation.

• Conduct life-cycle assessments to support large-scale deployment.

Conclusion

Wood waste-based PCM composites represent a sustainable, cost-effective, and efficient solution to enhance solar desalination. These composites capitalize on the dual benefits of thermal energy storage and insulation, extending operational hours and increasing freshwater production relative to conventional solar stills and PCMs. Additionally, they contribute profound environmental advantages by repurposing biomass waste, supporting sustainable material cycles, and reducing reliance on petroleum-derived PCMs. Continued research and development efforts aimed at material optimization, system integration, and scalable manufacturing are essential to elevate wood waste-based PCM solar desalination from experimental validation to practical, widespread implementation, particularly for water-scarce and off-grid communities.

References

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Copyright

Copyright © 2025 N Siva Pushpak , Naveen Pne . This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.