Nano-advancements: Leveraging CoCuMnOx and CuO in solar stills for sustainable water solutions

Single-basin solar stills (SBSS) offer a promising solution, utilizing solar energy for water purification, particularly in remote and off-grid areas. The focus in the current study revolves around enhancing the performance of SBSS by introducing nanofluids, specifically CoCuMnOx and CuO nanoparticl...

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Main Authors: Hebatullah Megahed, Nahed El Mahallawy
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-07-01
Series:Next Materials
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2949822825002886
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author Hebatullah Megahed
Nahed El Mahallawy
author_facet Hebatullah Megahed
Nahed El Mahallawy
author_sort Hebatullah Megahed
collection DOAJ
description Single-basin solar stills (SBSS) offer a promising solution, utilizing solar energy for water purification, particularly in remote and off-grid areas. The focus in the current study revolves around enhancing the performance of SBSS by introducing nanofluids, specifically CoCuMnOx and CuO nanoparticles (NPs). The main goal is to assess the impact of these NPs on the evaporation rate. CoCuMnOx NPs, synthesized via the sol-gel method, were characterized using SEM/EDX, XRD, FTIR, and UV spectroscopy, revealing a particle size of 500 nm and a solar absorbance of 88.35 %. Similarly, CuO NPs, with a particle size of 40 nm and solar absorbance of 91.14 %, were also investigated. Nanofluids with a 1 % volume fraction (Vf) of each NP type were prepared and subjected to evaporation rate testing. The experimental results indicated a significant increase in the evaporation rate by 65.33 % using CoCuMnOx nanofluids compared to distilled water, while CuO nanofluids showed a 33.24 % increase. Complementary to these experimental findings, numerical modeling predicts that the addition of 1 % Vf CuO nanofluid in SBSS with a cross sectional area 0.5 m² and under specific design and environmental conditions can achieve a cumulative productivity of 13 liters over an 8-h period. These findings highlight the potential for substantial performance enhancements through tailored material selection, nanofluid optimization, and system design. Overall, this research contributes to improving sustainable water desalination technologies with improved efficiency and effectiveness.
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spelling doaj-art-307d647a939349ff8f09401a67c02e432025-08-20T02:02:19ZengElsevierNext Materials2949-82282025-07-01810077010.1016/j.nxmate.2025.100770Nano-advancements: Leveraging CoCuMnOx and CuO in solar stills for sustainable water solutionsHebatullah Megahed0Nahed El Mahallawy1Faculty of Engineering and Materials Science, German University in Cairo, 11865, Cairo, Egypt; Correspondence to: Faculty of Engineering and Materials Science, German University in Cairo, Egypt.Faculty of Engineering and Materials Science, German University in Cairo, 11865, Cairo, Egypt; Faculty of Engineering, Ain Shams University, 11535, Cairo, EgyptSingle-basin solar stills (SBSS) offer a promising solution, utilizing solar energy for water purification, particularly in remote and off-grid areas. The focus in the current study revolves around enhancing the performance of SBSS by introducing nanofluids, specifically CoCuMnOx and CuO nanoparticles (NPs). The main goal is to assess the impact of these NPs on the evaporation rate. CoCuMnOx NPs, synthesized via the sol-gel method, were characterized using SEM/EDX, XRD, FTIR, and UV spectroscopy, revealing a particle size of 500 nm and a solar absorbance of 88.35 %. Similarly, CuO NPs, with a particle size of 40 nm and solar absorbance of 91.14 %, were also investigated. Nanofluids with a 1 % volume fraction (Vf) of each NP type were prepared and subjected to evaporation rate testing. The experimental results indicated a significant increase in the evaporation rate by 65.33 % using CoCuMnOx nanofluids compared to distilled water, while CuO nanofluids showed a 33.24 % increase. Complementary to these experimental findings, numerical modeling predicts that the addition of 1 % Vf CuO nanofluid in SBSS with a cross sectional area 0.5 m² and under specific design and environmental conditions can achieve a cumulative productivity of 13 liters over an 8-h period. These findings highlight the potential for substantial performance enhancements through tailored material selection, nanofluid optimization, and system design. Overall, this research contributes to improving sustainable water desalination technologies with improved efficiency and effectiveness.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2949822825002886CoCuMnOxCuONanofluidsDistillationRenewable energyDecentralized solar still
spellingShingle Hebatullah Megahed
Nahed El Mahallawy
Nano-advancements: Leveraging CoCuMnOx and CuO in solar stills for sustainable water solutions
Next Materials
CoCuMnOx
CuO
Nanofluids
Distillation
Renewable energy
Decentralized solar still
title Nano-advancements: Leveraging CoCuMnOx and CuO in solar stills for sustainable water solutions
title_full Nano-advancements: Leveraging CoCuMnOx and CuO in solar stills for sustainable water solutions
title_fullStr Nano-advancements: Leveraging CoCuMnOx and CuO in solar stills for sustainable water solutions
title_full_unstemmed Nano-advancements: Leveraging CoCuMnOx and CuO in solar stills for sustainable water solutions
title_short Nano-advancements: Leveraging CoCuMnOx and CuO in solar stills for sustainable water solutions
title_sort nano advancements leveraging cocumnox and cuo in solar stills for sustainable water solutions
topic CoCuMnOx
CuO
Nanofluids
Distillation
Renewable energy
Decentralized solar still
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2949822825002886
work_keys_str_mv AT hebatullahmegahed nanoadvancementsleveragingcocumnoxandcuoinsolarstillsforsustainablewatersolutions
AT nahedelmahallawy nanoadvancementsleveragingcocumnoxandcuoinsolarstillsforsustainablewatersolutions