Enhancing evaporation using proposed biomass-derived insulation with holistic decision-making

Abstract

The escalating demand for fresh water has increased the challenge of water scarcity. Insulations hinder heat loss, so they significantly affect thermal desalination. The use of primary materials derived from fossil fuels presents drawbacks mainly due to their unsustainable nature. Therefore, this study proposed biomass thermal insulation from date palm waste for thermal desalination applications. Then, the proposed insulation polystyrene and date palm wood (PS-DPW) was compared experimentally and holistically with commercial polyurethane (PUR) and aerogel (AR) insulations. The evaporation rates of water were observed for different insulation materials, with each container insulated on all sides except the top. Experimentally, the PS-DPW, PUR, and AR insulations exhibited thermal conductivity of 0.05844, 0.0322, and 0.02783 W/m·K, respectively. In addition, the PS-DPW, AR, and PUR improve the evaporation by 5 %, 9 %, and 12 %, respectively. Holistically, the insulations were compared based on technical, environmental, social, and economic insights. PUR emerged as the most favorable insulation, closely followed by PS-DPW insulation, showing a high correlation in manufacturing, low carbon footprint, market availability, and cost. Although AR has the lowest thermal conductivity, it was the least favorable due to its high cost, carbon footprint, limited availability, and complex manufacturing process. Generally, the present study paves the road for future exploration of biomass-based insulations in thermal desalination, showcasing their potential sustainability contribution.