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<p>This review critically examines recent advances in fiber-enhanced solar stills aimed at overcoming the inherent limitations of conventional solar desalination systems, particularly low freshwater productivity and poor thermal efficiency. A structured literature review methodology was adopted to analyze peer-reviewed studies published between 2020 and 2026, with emphasis on experimental configurations, mathematical modeling approaches, and performance enhancement strategies. The reviewed studies demonstrate that natural fibers such as sisal, coir, flax, agar–agar, and kenaf can enhance freshwater productivity by approximately 20–55%, reduce water production costs to below USD 0.03 L⁻<sup>1</sup>, and shorten payback periods to 3.9–6&#xa0;months, with reported thermal efficiencies reaching 57.3%. In contrast, advanced fiber-based interfacial evaporators employing carbon fiber cloth, graphene oxide, MXene composites, and hydrogel fibers are discussed as a separate system class, with evaporation rates of 1.5–4.3&#xa0;kg&#xa0;m⁻<sup>2</sup>&#xa0;h⁻<sup>1</sup> and solar-to-steam efficiencies exceeding 90% under controlled illumination. These values are not directly equivalent to daily freshwater productivity values reported for conventional solar stills because of differences in system configuration, operating duration, evaporative area definition, and condensation-based water collection. Hybrid fiber-integrated systems incorporating phase change materials, cooling mechanisms, or multifunctional coatings further improve energy utilization, achieving exergy efficiencies of up to 41% and notable reductions in specific energy consumption. While natural fibers offer sustainable and low-cost solutions suitable for decentralized and rural applications, advanced fibers are more appropriate for high-efficiency and large-scale desalination despite higher material and fabrication costs. Future research should prioritize standardized testing protocols, long-term durability assessment, life cycle analysis, and scalable manufacturing techniques to accelerate the transition of fiber-enhanced solar desalination technologies from laboratory-scale demonstrations to real-world deployment.</p> Graphical abstract <p></p>

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Recent advances in fiber-enhanced solar stills: configurations, mathematical modeling, and performance enhancement strategies

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年7月2日

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  • Farhan Lafta Rashid,
  • Karrar A. Hammoodi,
  • Najah M. L. Al Maimuri,
  • Mushtaq K. Abdalrahem,
  • Hayder I. Mohammed,
  • Ruqayah Fadhil Atea,
  • Ahmed Kadhim Hussein,
  • Atef Chibani,
  • Ephraim Bonah Agyekum

摘要

This review critically examines recent advances in fiber-enhanced solar stills aimed at overcoming the inherent limitations of conventional solar desalination systems, particularly low freshwater productivity and poor thermal efficiency. A structured literature review methodology was adopted to analyze peer-reviewed studies published between 2020 and 2026, with emphasis on experimental configurations, mathematical modeling approaches, and performance enhancement strategies. The reviewed studies demonstrate that natural fibers such as sisal, coir, flax, agar–agar, and kenaf can enhance freshwater productivity by approximately 20–55%, reduce water production costs to below USD 0.03 L⁻1, and shorten payback periods to 3.9–6 months, with reported thermal efficiencies reaching 57.3%. In contrast, advanced fiber-based interfacial evaporators employing carbon fiber cloth, graphene oxide, MXene composites, and hydrogel fibers are discussed as a separate system class, with evaporation rates of 1.5–4.3 kg m⁻2 h⁻1 and solar-to-steam efficiencies exceeding 90% under controlled illumination. These values are not directly equivalent to daily freshwater productivity values reported for conventional solar stills because of differences in system configuration, operating duration, evaporative area definition, and condensation-based water collection. Hybrid fiber-integrated systems incorporating phase change materials, cooling mechanisms, or multifunctional coatings further improve energy utilization, achieving exergy efficiencies of up to 41% and notable reductions in specific energy consumption. While natural fibers offer sustainable and low-cost solutions suitable for decentralized and rural applications, advanced fibers are more appropriate for high-efficiency and large-scale desalination despite higher material and fabrication costs. Future research should prioritize standardized testing protocols, long-term durability assessment, life cycle analysis, and scalable manufacturing techniques to accelerate the transition of fiber-enhanced solar desalination technologies from laboratory-scale demonstrations to real-world deployment.

Graphical abstract