1PG Scholar, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Vidya College of Engineering, Meerut, India
2Automation and Robotics, Ajay Kumar Garg Engineering College, Ghaziabad, India
3Ram-Eesh Institute of Engineering and Technology, Greater Noida, India
4Chemistry Lecturer, Department of Chemical Engineering, Government Polytechnic, Ghaziabad, India
Online published on 4 June, 2018.
The origin and continuation of mankind is based on water. Water is one of the most abundant resources on earth, covering three-fourths of the planet's surface. However, about 97% of the earth's water is salt water in the oceans and a tiny 3% is fresh water. This small percentage of the earth's water which supplies most of human and animal needs exists in ground water, lakes and rivers. The only nearly inexhaustible sources of water are the oceans, it would be feasible to address the water shortage problem with seawater desalination; however, the separation of salts from seawater requires large amounts of energy which, when produced from fossil fuels, can cause harm to the environment. Therefore, there is a need to employ environmentally friendly energy sources to desalinate seawater. After a historical introduction into desalination, this research covers a large variety of systems used to convert seawater into fresh water suitable for human by using solar energy. It also covers a variety of systems, which can be used to harness renewable energy sources; these include solar collectors, photovoltaics, solar ponds and geothermal energy. Both direct and indirect collection systems are included.
Solar energy, Desalination, Solar-desalination, Brackish water, Solar concentrators, Alternative energy, Use of renewable energy, Reclamation of wastewater
