Efeitos do uso de argila expandida e fibra de sisal em sistema de dessalinização solar

Abstract

Water is a precious resource essential for sustaining life on Earth. However, it is limited. The planet is increasingly heading toward an unsustainable water crisis, where billions of people will be affected by the scarcity of this resource. In Brazil, poor water distribution is already a reality, impacting millions of Brazilians, particularly those in the northeastern semi-arid region, which experiences long periods of drought and is densely populated. At the same time, this region has the advantage of being located in an area with abundant solar energy potential. Considering this, an alternative for producing potable water is through desalination systems using solar distillation—a low-cost option with easy installation, operation, and maintenance. This study aims to investigate the effects of using expanded clay spheres and sisal plant fiber as porous fillers in a solar still, employing brine as the solution to be purified. The objective is to leverage the natural properties of these materials as a way to enhance the value of the northeastern soil and flora. Expanded clay demonstrated superior performance, producing 395.0651 g of clean water in a four-hour test, while sisal showed slightly lower efficiency, yielding 352.1774 g of pure water. Finally, it is hoped that this study will encourage further research on solar desalination as a means of addressing environmental challenges by combining engineering and sustainability.