Abstract This research investigates the design, construction, and experimental evaluation of a novel solar water distillation system integrated with a solar air heater. The system aims to enhance freshwater production efficiency by utilizing preheated air from the solar air heater to accelerate evaporation in the distillation unit. Experimental results demonstrate a significant improvement in system performance with the integration of the solar air heater. The enhanced system achieves a peak efficiency of 81%. The efficiency further increased to 91% with the integration of a fan with a reducer. The system achieves a maximum hourly water output of 420 ml, significantly higher than the baseline solar still, which has an efficiency of 30% and produces 120 ml. The addition of stainless steel sponges and reflective mirrors further enhances the system's performance. While the novel solar water distillation system is small in size, with a basin area of 0.48 m², research has shown a significant increase in fresh water production, reaching 4.87 L/m²/day in one day. Economic and environmental analyses reveal the system's cost-effectiveness and sustainability. With an initial cost of $500, the system offers annual savings of 84.24 $ and a payback period of 5.9 years. It also reduces CO2 emissions by 730 kg CO2/year. Furthermore, the distilled water's purity is significantly improved, with TDS levels dropping from 154 ppm to 0.03 ppm. TDS, short for Total Dissolved Solids, is a measure of the combined total of organic and inorganic substances dissolved in water. The research validates the hypothesis that integrating a solar air heater enhances solar still performance, providing a promising solution for addressing water scarcity, particularly in regions with abundant sunlight.
