Assessment of single slope solar still using block and disc magnets via productivity, economic, and enviro-economic perspectives: a comparative study

In this research, the productivity, economic, and enviro-economic analysis of single slope solar stills using block magnets (BMSS) and disc magnets (DMSS) were performed under the climatic conditions of Coimbatore city (latitude, 11° 01′ 68″ N, and longitude, 76° 95′ 58″ E), in India, 2019. The results observed in BMSS and DMSS were compared with conventional solar still (CSS) under the same climatic conditions. The usage of block and disc magnets in basin of solar still was improved the daily productivity significantly. The results showed that the performance observed in BMSS was notably higher than the performance of DMSS. The hourly productivity in BMSS was 5.8% and 13.7% higher when compared to DMSS and CSS, respectively. The cumulative productivity in BMSS, DMSS, and CSS were found to be about 3.15 kg/m2, 2.82 kg/m2, and 2.15 kg/m2, respectively, for 12h observations. In economic analysis, the estimated payback period (PBP) of BMSS, DMSS, and CSS were about 3.6 months, 3.5 months, and 4.5 months, respectively. Furthermore, the CO2 emission of BMSS, DMSS, and CSS were observed to be about 11.04 tons, 9.37 tons, and 6.45 tons, respectively. The overall observations showed that the magnetization of saline water has significantly improved the solar still performances.