A review of evaporation efficiency calculation methods in interfacial solar evaporation systems
Maryam Nooman ALMALLAHI, Mohamed Y.E. SELIM, Mahmoud ELGENDI
Abstract. Water scarcity presents a significant threat to sustainable human development, highlighting its importance. Fortunately, sustainable and efficient water purification methods are available with interfacial solar evaporation (ISE) systems. These systems utilize solar energy to localize heat at the water-air interface, enabling high efficiency. The evaporation efficiency is influenced by multiple parameters, including photothermal material properties, system geometry, solar absorbance, and temperature change. However, efficiency is reduced primarily by heat losses from conduction, convection, and radiation to the environment. This work compares several methods of evaporation efficiency calculations in ISE. Furthermore, strategies that entail better evaporation efficiencies, such as thermal insulation and structural designs, are presented and recommended in the work. This study aims to offer practical guidelines for efficiency calculations for ISE performance and to compare results across different studies.
Keywords
Structure Design, Photothermal Material, Interfacial Solar Evaporation
Published online 6/20/2026, 5 pages
Copyright © 2026 by the author(s)
Published under license by Materials Research Forum LLC., Millersville PA, USA
Citation: Maryam Nooman ALMALLAHI, Mohamed Y.E. SELIM, Mahmoud ELGENDI, A review of evaporation efficiency calculation methods in interfacial solar evaporation systems, Materials Research Proceedings, Vol. 67, pp 676-680, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21741/9781644904176-92
The article was published as article 92 of the book Climate Action and Sustainability
Content from this work may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license. Any further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the title of the work, journal citation and DOI.
References
[1] C. J. Vörösmarty, A. Hoekstra, S. Bunn, D. Conway, and J. Gupta, “Fresh water goes global,” Science, vol. 349, no. 6247, pp. 478-479, 2015.
[2] M. N. AlMallahi, J. Mustafa, A. H. Al-Marzouqi, and M. Elgendi, “Research progress and state-of-the-art on solar membrane desalination,” Case Studies in Chemical and Environmental Engineering, vol. 10, p. 100825, 2024/12/01/ 2024, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cscee.2024.100825.
[3] V. G. Gude, “Desalination and water reuse to address global water scarcity,” Reviews in Environmental Science and Bio/Technology, vol. 16, no. 4, pp. 591-609, 2017.
[4] M. Elgendi et al., “A review of the applications of nanomaterials to augment solar still productivity,” Water Resources Management and Sustainability: Solutions for Arid Regions, pp. 433-446, 2023.
[5] A. Serag, M. N. AlMallahi, and M. Elgendi, “Enhancing the performance of solar stills using heating components: A comprehensive review,” (in English), International Journal of Thermofluids, Review vol. 24, 2024, Art no. 100900, doi: 10.1016/j.ijft.2024.100900.
[6] A. Najjar, M. Nooman AlMallahi, and M. Elgendi, “Evaluating the effect of external and internal condensers on the productivity of solar stills: A review,” (in English), Energy Convers. Manage. X, Review vol. 24, 2024, Art no. 100763, doi: 10.1016/j.ecmx.2024.100763.
[7] M. N. AlMallahi, S. M. Asaad, and M. Elgendi, “Towards cleaner desalination systems utilizing waste heat: A bibliometric analysis,” International Journal of Thermofluids, vol. 24, p. 100958, 2024/11/01/ 2024, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijft.2024.100958.
[8] D. Mevada et al., “Effect of fin configuration parameters on performance of solar still: a review,” Groundwater for Sustainable Development, vol. 10, p. 100289, 2020.
[9] P. Dumka et al., “Enhancing solar still performance with Plexiglas and jute cloth additions: experimental study,” Sustainable Environment Research, vol. 34, no. 1, p. 3, 2024.
[10] M. Elgendi, A. E. Kabeel, and F. A. Essa, “Improving the solar still productivity using thermoelectric materials: A review,” Alexandria Engineering Journal, vol. 65, pp. 963-982, 2023/02/15/ 2023, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aej.2022.10.011.
[11] M. Elgendi et al., “DESIGN PROCEDURES FOR AN INCLINED SOLAR STILL WITH THERMOELECTRIC GENERATOR AND PHASE CHANGE MATERIAL,” in Proceedings of International Conference on Computers and Industrial Engineering, CIE, Y. Dessouky and A. Shamayleh, Eds., 2023, vol. 1: Computers and Industrial Engineering, pp. 573-579. [Online]. Available: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85184128514&partnerID=40&md5=1a6cf64f1c9372ef50b57baab75319af. [Online]. Available: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85184128514&partnerID=40&md5=1a6cf64f1c9372ef50b57baab75319af
[12] M. N. AlMallahi et al., “Proposing a novel solar adsorption desalination unit using conceptual design and AHP-TOPSIS,” (in English), Alexandria Engineering Journal, Article vol. 106, pp. 632-645, 2024, doi: 10.1016/j.aej.2024.08.039.
[13] A. Kabeel and S. El-Agouz, “Review of researches and developments on solar stills,” Desalination, vol. 276, no. 1-3, pp. 1-12, 2011.
[14] M. N. AlMallahi, M. Y. E. Selim, and M. Elgendi, “Exploring the evolution of solar-driven interfacial evaporation: Bibliometric and trends analyses,” Solar Energy Advances, vol. 5, p. 100116, 2025/01/01/ 2025, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seja.2025.100116.
[15] M. N. AlMallahi, M. Y. E. Selim, and M. Elgendi, “Interfacial solar evaporation using biomass: Environmental impact, financial feasibility, and a bibliometric perspective,” Desalination, vol. 614, p. 119160, 2025/11/01/ 2025, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.desal.2025.119160.
[16] M. Wu et al., “Hydrophilic polymer foam as a monolithic interfacial solar evaporator with rapid self‐cleaning, high evaporation efficiency, and salt resistance,” Advanced Functional Materials, vol. 34, no. 52, p. 2410729, 2024.
[17] R. Madhuri, Z. Said, I. Ihsanullah, and R. Sathyamurthy, “Solar energy-driven desalination: A renewable solution for climate change mitigation and advancing sustainable development goals,” Desalination, p. 118575, 2025.
[18] M. S. Asghar et al., “Functionalized carbon nanotubes interconnected with metal-organic frameworks for in-situ solar-driven evaporation and salt recovery from seawater,” Water Research, vol. 282, p. 123643, 2025.
[19] M. N. AlMallahi et al., “Pyrolyzed moringa seed-based photothermal absorber for enhanced solar interfacial evaporation,” Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, vol. 295, p. 113965, 2026/01/15/ 2026, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solmat.2025.113965.
[20] Z. Fan et al., “Synergism of solar-driven interfacial evaporation and photo-Fenton Cr (VI) reduction by sustainable Bi-MOF-based evaporator from waste polyester,” Journal of Energy Chemistry, vol. 94, pp. 527-540, 2024.
[21] J.-L. Wu et al., “Recent progress of solar-driven interfacial evaporation based on organic semiconductor materials,” Separation and Purification Technology, vol. 326, p. 124759, 2023.
[22] F. A. Bezza, S. A. Iwarere, S. M. Tichapondwa, and E. M. N. Chirwa, “Fabrication and Application of Ag, Black TiO2 and Nitrogen-Doped 3D Reduced Graphene Oxide (3D Black TiO2/Ag/N@rGO) Evaporator for Efficient Steam Generation,” Catalysts, vol. 13, no. 3, p. 514, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4344/13/3/514.
[23] S. Naseem, C.-M. Wu, and T. F. Chala, “Photothermal-responsive tungsten bronze/recycled cellulose triacetate porous fiber membranes for efficient light-driven interfacial water evaporation,” Solar Energy, vol. 194, pp. 391-399, 2019.
[24] B. Liu et al., “The route for applied interfacial solar vapor generation: fundamental principles, device design, and practical application,” Energy & Environmental Science, 2025.
[25] Y. Wang, Q. Zhang, Z. Liu, G. Yang, and F. Peng, “Photothermal water evaporation and purification on the interface evaporator constructed by Cu@Bi2WO6-C,” Separation and Purification Technology, vol. 347, p. 127702, 2024/11/11/ 2024, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seppur.2024.127702.
[26] H. Li, S. Wang, Z. Yan, X. Niu, X. Sun, and W. Hong, “Harvesting conductive heat loss of interfacial solar evaporator for thermoelectric power generation,” Applied Thermal Engineering, vol. 208, p. 118279, 2022/05/25/ 2022, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2022.118279.
[27] L. Han, H. Zhou, M. Fu, J. Li, H. Ma, and B. Zhang, “Manufacturing robust MXene-based hydrogel-coated cotton fabric via electron-beam irradiation for efficient interfacial solar evaporation,” Chemical Engineering Journal, vol. 473, p. 145337, 2023.
