Dual‐Organic Phase Change Material: A Sustainability‐Oriented Approach for High‐Performance Solar Stills
Ramasamy Dhivagar, Adil A. M. Omara, Kalimuthu Gopi Kannan, Rajendran Prabakaran, S J Kim
Abstract
The individual use of organic phase change materials (PCMs) in solar stills has been shown to result in the need for large masses for performance improvements. This paper proposed a novel approach by integrating both paraffin wax and beeswax onto the basin to form a modified solar still (BP‐PCMSS), aiming to enhance the performance of a conventional solar still (CSS). A comparative analysis was conducted between the two models, evaluating thermodynamic, economic, environmental, enviroeconomic, and sustainability characteristics. The results revealed that BP‐PCMSS provided a yield of 3.1 kg/m 2 relative to 2.35 kg/m 2 for CSS, reflecting 31.91% improvement. Thermodynamically, BP‐PCMSS improved the energy and exergy efficiency of CSS by 32.14% and 28.57%, respectively. From an economic perspective, BP‐PCMSS and CSS had production costs of $0.022/L and $0.027/L, respectively, indicating an 18.52% reduction for BP‐PCMSS. The environmental parameter for BP‐PCMSS was 7.82 tons of CO 2 mitigation compared to 5.81 tons for CSS, while the enviroeconomic parameter was $113.39 for BP‐PCMSS and $84.25 for CSS, reflecting 34.59% improvement in both parameters for BP‐PCMSS. Additionally, BP‐PCMSS achieved a sustainability index (SI) of 1.028, reflecting a 0.69% improvement compared to CSS (1.021). In conclusion, the proposed dual‐PCM approach integrated into the basin offers a more energy‐efficient, economical, environmentally sustainable, and overall superior method for improving solar still performance, outperforming the individual application of each PCM.