Life cycle cost analysis of a sustainable solar water distillation technique

• Published in: Desalination and water treatment Vol. 51; no. 40-42; pp. 7412 - 7419
• Main Authors: Ahsan, A., Rahman, A., Shanableh, A., Nik Daud, N.N., Mohammed, T.A., Mabrouk, A.N.A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: L'Aquila Elsevier Inc 01-12-2013; Desalination Publications
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Distillation; Drinking water and swimming-pool water. Desalination; Exact sciences and technology; Industrial engineering; Life cycle cost; Life cycle costs; Life cycle engineering; Payback period; Pollution; Production; Production costs; Productivity; Solar radiation; Tubular solar still (TSS); Water cost; Water treatment; Water treatment and pollution; Payback period; Solar radiation; Water cost; Tubular solar still (TSS); Life cycle cost; Production; Distillation; Drinking water treatment; Water treatment; Tubular reactor; Alternative energy; Water resource management; Developing countries; Sustainable development; Solar still; Health and environment; Renewable energy; Desalination; Solar energy; Water quality; Public health; Environmental protection
• ISSN: 1944-3986; 1944-3994; 1944-3986
• DOI: 10.1080/19443994.2013.813006

This paper presents a detailed estimation of the fabrication cost, water production cost (WC), and cost payback period (CPP) using annualized life cycle costing for a tubular solar still (TSS). The operation and maintenance cost (OM) and the number of sunny days in a year (d) have a significant effect on the WC. The WC is raised from 3.1 to 4.4¥/L, if the OM increases from 5 to 18% of the capital cost, respectively. The WC is dropped by 35% (in average) when the d increases from 230 to 350 days. In addition, the CPP is greatly affected by the water selling prices and d. The CPP is dropped from 68 to 45 days due to the increase of d from 230 to 350 days (in average), respectively. The fabrication cost of the TSS ($5) and the WC ($31/m3) are affordable and much lower than the single-sloped passive solar still. Finally, it is revealed that the solar radiation is the most influential parameter on the productivity of TSS and a linear proportional relationship is found between them.