Performance enhancement of a solar still using a V-groove solar air collector—experimental study with energy,exergy, enviroeconomic,and exergoeconomic analysis

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - This paper intended to evaluate the performance of a new design of solar still integrated with a V-groove solar air collector. In this system, an air...     

Performance evaluation of using evacuated tubes solar collector,perforated fins,and pebbles in a solar still – experimental study and CO2 mitigation analysis

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The combination of various methods of increasing evaporation rate can highly impact the performance of solar desalination. This investigation aims to...     

Concept of optimum basin thickness in heat exchanger–assisted solar stills

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - It is suggested by many works on solar stills that water thickness should be kept as low as possible to reduce its thermal inertia and obtain best...     

Experimental study and comparative analysis of modified solar paraboloidal dish–thermoelectric generator systems

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Solar energy is one of the major sources of renewable energy which contributes for environmental protection and pollution reduction. Methods and...     

Adaptive particle swarm optimization–based deep neural network for productivity enhancement of solar still

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Water is considered one of the most superabundant resources on the earth that covers 75% of the entire earth’s surface, yet numerous countries...     

Prediction of focal image for solar parabolic dish concentrator with square facets—an analytical model

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Solar parabolic dish concentrator is one of the high-temperature applications of more than 400 °C for thermal and electrical power...     

The effect of nutrients shortage on plant’s efficiency to capture solar radiations under semi-arid environments

Radiation use efficiency (RUE) is considered critical for calculation of crop yield. The crop productivity can be improved by increasing the interception of solar radiation and maintaining higher RUE for plants. Irrigation water and nitrogen (N) supply are the main limiting factors for RUE in maize (Zea mays L.) across the semi-arid environments. Field experiments were conducted during two consecutive growing seasons (2009–2010) to optimize RUE in relation to N application timings and rates with varying irrigation water management practices. In experiment 1, three N application timings were made, while in experiment 2, three possible water management practices were used. In both experiments, five N rates (100, 150, 200, 250, and 300 kg N ha⁻¹) were applied to evaluate the effects of irrigation water and N on cumulative photosynthetic active radiation (PARi), dry matter RUE (RUE_DM), and grain yield RUE (RUE_GY). The results demonstrated that cumulative PARi and RUEs were not constant during the plant growth under varying the nutrients. The water and N significantly influenced cumulative PARi and RUEs during the both growing seasons. In experiment 1, the maximum cumulative PARi was observed by application of 250 kg N ha⁻¹ in three splits (1/3 N at V2, 1/3 N at V16, and 1/3 N at R1 stage), and the highest RUE_DM was achieved by the application of 300 kg N ha⁻¹. However, the highest RUE_GY was observed by application of 250 kg N ha⁻¹. In experiment 2, the maximum cumulative PARi was attained at normal irrigation regime with 250 kg N ha⁻¹, while the highest RUE_DM and RUE_GY were recorded at normal irrigation regime with the application of 300 kg N ha⁻¹. The regression analysis showed significant and positive correlation of RUE_GY with grain yield. Therefore, optimum water and N doses are important for attaining higher RUE, which may enhance maize grain yield semi-arid environment; this may be considered in formulating good agricultural practices for the environmental conditions resembling to those of this study.

     

TiO₂ supported over SBA-15: an efficient photocatalyst for the pesticide degradation using solar light

Photocatalytic degradation and mineralization of pesticides are studied over TiO(2) supported mesoporous SBA-15 composite system using solar light. TiO(2) is immobilized over SBA-15 by solid sate dispersion method. The catalysts are characterized by XRD, surface area, UV-Vis diffused reflectance spectra, SEM and TEM. The detailed photocatalytic degradation studies are carried out over TiO(2), SBA-15 and different TiO(2) wt% supported SBA-15. The activity evaluation parameters such as catalyst amount, pH, and pollutant initial concentration are studied taking isoproturon as a model compound and established conditions for pesticide degradation. The optimum degradation is achieved over 10 wt% TiO(2)/SBA-15 within 30 min and the reaction is following pseudo-first order kinetics. The isoproturon mineralization is monitored with TOC reduction and it takes around 9h for disappearance. The commercial pesticide solutions containing imidacloprid and phosphamidon are also successfully degraded over these composites with the established conditions. The data indicates that 10 wt% TiO(2)/SBA-15 composite is an effective and highly active system for the pesticide degradations.     

A review of water electrolysis–based systems for hydrogen production using hybrid/solar/wind energy systems

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Hydrogen energy, as clean and efficient energy, is considered significant support for the construction of a sustainable society in the face of global...     

Optimum techno-eco performance requisites for vacuum annulus tube collector–assisted double-slope solar desaltification unit integrated modified parabolic concentrator

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - This work presents a novel approach for a double-slope solar desaltification system having parallel array of evacuated annular tube collectors with...     

A quantitative comparison of α-Å turbidity parameter retrieved in different spectral ranges based on spectroradiometer solar radiation measurements

Spectroradiometric direct irradiance measurements in the 300–1100 nm wavelength range with a spectral resolution of 6.2 nm have been used in a study of the variation in the Ångström turbidity parameter α and its dependence on the spectral range used in its determination. The measurements have been carried out under clear sky conditions at two different climate stations in Spain. Least-square fits of the experimental spectral aerosol optical depth (AOD) to the Ångström formula in different spectral ranges, selected for convenience depending on the objective or application (e.g., UV–VIS (350–400 nm), VIS (400–670 nm), VIS–NIR (370–870 nm), etc.), result in different sets for the α parameter. Due to this dependence on the spectral range, where the α-values are determined, a quantitative comparative analysis is carried out in order to assess the differences for a given data-base covering very different atmospheric conditions. The study reveals the necessity of a ‘standard spectral range’ to achieve confident data comparisons. We show some applications that are relevant for aerosol studies, from UV absorption by aerosols to satellite remote sensing.     

Experimental study of solar energy–based water purifier of single-slope type by incorporating a number of similar evacuated tubular collectors

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - This research paper deals with the experimental investigation of solar energy–based water purifier (SEBWP) of single-slope type by incorporating...     

Conductive and convective heat transfer augmentation in flat plate solar collector from energy,economic and environmental perspectives — a comprehensive review

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The primary objective of the paper is to identify the effective way to enhance the conductive and convective heat transfer of the FPSC. The...     

Microcontroller PIC 16F877A standard based on solar cooker using PV—evacuated tubes with an extension of heat integrated energy system

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The unavailability of sunlight during nighttime and cloudy weather condition has limited the usage of solar cookers throughout the day. This study...     

Effect of different types of clouds on surface UV-B and total solar irradiance at southern mid-latitudes: CMF determinations at Córdoba,Argentina

The effect of clouds on total and UV-B irradiance in Córdoba, Argentina, was studied employing the TUV 4.1 model and measurements obtained with YES UVB-1 and YES TSP-700 radiometers, and a spectral radiometer Ocean Optics USB-4000. The experimental measurements were selected from a 10 years dataset (1999–2008). Clouds were classified by direct observation as cirrus, cumulus, and stratocumulus. The broadband Cloud Modification Factors (CMFs) have been calculated in the range of the total and the UV-B radiation for these types of clouds. The relations between them were analyzed for a significant number of days. The broadband CMF values range from around 0.1 up to 1.25, depending on the wavelength interval and on the cloud type. The CMF_UVB versus CMF_T plots for different clouds have shown good adjustments and significant differences, which allows the distinction between them.Stratocumulus clouds show large attenuations and a linear relation with larger slopes as the solar zenith angle (SZA) increases. For this type of clouds an average slope of (1.0 ± 0.2) was found. The relation between the CMF for cumulus clouds is linear with an average slope of (0.61 ± 0.01). No dependence with the SZA was observed. Cirrus clouds plots show an exponential behavior with fit parameters equal to (0.48 ± 0.08) and (0.68 ± 0.15). However, when small SZA intervals are analyzed a linear relation is found. When the relations between the CMF were similar (cumulus and cirrus), the spectral variation in the UV range (320–420 nm) of a modified CMF (CMF_m) was used to distinguish them. Hence, the spectral differences among the three types of clouds have been also analyzed for several days and SZA. Here, it was found that the effect of cirrus is essentially wavelength independent while cumulus and stratocumulus clouds show exponential decay relations but with different ordinates.In the analyzed relations the microphysical properties of the clouds seem to determine its behavior while the optical thickness leads to the different degrees of attenuation.The results obtained in this work are in agreement with those found for other authors.