Application of Solar Energy for Recovery of Water from Atmospheric Air in Climatic Zones of Saudi Arabia

Abstract

In the present work, an investigation on the application of solar energy to heat a sandy bed impregnated with calcium chloride for recovery of water from atmospheric air is presented. The study also aimed at evaluating the effects of different parameters on the productivity of the system during regeneration. These parameters include system design characteristics and the climatic conditions. An experimental unit has been designed and installed for this purpose in climatic conditions of Taif area, Saudi Arabia. The experimental unit which has a surface area of 0.5 m2, comprises a solar/desiccant collector unit containing sandy bed impregnated with calcium chloride. The sandy layer impregnated with desiccant is subjected to ambient atmosphere to absorb water vapor in the night. During the sunshine period, the layer is covered with glass layer where desiccant is regenerated and water vapor is condensed on the glass surface. Ambient temperature, bed temperature and temperature of glass surface are recorded. Also, the productivity of the system has been evaluated. Desiccant concentration at start of regeneration is selected on the basis of the climatic data of Al-Hada region, which is located at Taif area, Saudi Arabia. Experimental measurements show that about 1.0 liter per m2 of pure water can be regenerated from the desiccant bed at the climatic conditions of Taif. Liquid desiccant with initial concentration of 30% can be regenerated to a final concentration of about 44%. Desiccant concentration at start of regeneration is selected on the basis of the climatic data of Al-Hada region. The climate of Taif city is dry compared with that for Al-Hada region. This method for extracting water from atmospheric air is more suitable for Al-Hada region especially in the fall and winter

Desiccant system for water production from humid air using solar energy

“…It was found also that the system was more efficient when operating at AlHada region. This is due to the dew point is higher compared with the city of Taif [16].…”

Comparative study of solar-powered water production from atmospheric air using different desiccant materials

“…Ji, Wang, and Li (2006) and Hamed, Aly, and Zeidan (2011) experimentally investigated the recovery of water from atmospheric air using the composite material MCM-41and a sandy bed impregnated with calcium chloride. It was found that 1.2 kg and 1.0 L/m 2 water can be produced.…”

A Feasibility Study on the Use of an Atmospheric Water Generator (AWG) for the Harvesting of Fresh Water in a Semi-Arid Region Affected by Mining Pollution

“…Therefore, it is necessary to look for alternatives to supply freshwater without affecting the environment and with adequate conditions for human consumption or use in other activities. At a global level, various strategies have been presented to reduce water scarcity, specifically in the improvement of hydraulic distribution systems (storage, distribution, and irrigation systems), rainwater harvesting, seawater desalination technologies, water management, and atmospheric water harvesting [21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29]. From the latter, fog and dew are major sources of water for arid regions [30].…”

“…It is known that about 280 cubic miles of water evaporate or transpire daily into the atmosphere, and the amount of water in atmospheric air is about 14,000 km 3 compared to only about 1200 km 3 of fresh water on earth [41]. Devices that harvest water from the atmosphere are called atmospheric water generators (AWGs) and can be used successfully both in arid areas with low moisture content and in humid areas with high moisture content [22,42,43]. In this work, we present a feasibility study on the use of atmospheric water generators (AWGs) for harvesting atmospheric air water in the region of Matehuala, SLP.…”