High-Efficiency Solar-Thermal Desalination Using Capillary-Driven Porous Graphitic Foams

Salman, Aqeel Aziz

doi:10.63463/kjes1213

	High-Efficiency Solar-Thermal Desalination Using Capillary-Driven Porous Graphitic Foams
Kerbala Journal for Engineering Sciences (KJES)
Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available Online from 30 June 2026
Document Type: Research Article
DOI: 10.63463/kjes1213
Author
Aqeel Aziz Salman^*
University of Qom, College of Engineering
Abstract
The solar-thermal system used is highly efficient, and the desalination material is porous graphitic foams. This design uses the excellent photothermal properties and interconnected pore structure of graphitic foams to help interfacial evaporation while reducing heat loss to bulk water. Capillarity provides an ample supply of saline water to the evaporation surface at all times, and a thin water layer forms in the process, which then vaporizes. A study that combines theory and experiment was carried out to know how porosity, surface wetting, and thermal conductivity affect evaporation rate and solar-to-vapour conversion efficiency. Results indicate that the optimised foam structure solar still, which achieved over 70% one-sun solar-to-vapour efficiency, surpasses conventional flat solar stills. The system has excellent salt rejection performance and is thermally stable over long-term operation. This solution can produce fresh water on a large scale, at low cost, and sustainably in dry areas like Iraq, which enjoys abundant solar energy but has critical, scarce water resources.
Keywords
Solar-thermal desalination; Capillary-driven transport; Porous graphitic foams; Photothermal materials; Water desalination

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