Cost analysis for solar-powered adsorption desalination-cooling system utilizing improved Maxsorb III adsorbents under Egypt weather conditions

This study investigates performance and economic evaluation of an annual adsorption desalination system utilizing several activated carbons (raw Maxsorb III, Maxsorb III/HCl, Maxsorb III/(NH₄)₂CO_3, and Maxsorb III/CaCl₂) in the context of Egyptian climatic conditions. A comparison is made between the performance of the adsorption desalination system with and without heat recovery from the condenser/evaporator. MATLAB and TRNSYS are used to carry out the model using climatic data of the hot region. The results revealed that the Maxsorb III/CaCl₂ system exhibits superior performance, whereas the raw Maxsorb III demonstrates the least efficacy among the investigated adsorbent materials. The results indicated that the Maxsorb III/CaCl₂ system provided the most significant specific daily water production value of 25.4 m³/ton without heat recovery, while it could be increased to (36.7 m³/ton) with heat recovery, achieving a gained output ratio of 0.76 at the optimal cycle time 700 s. The Maxsorb III/CaCl₂ system had the most cost-effective method for producing desalinated water. Using waste heat instead of solar energy leads to reduced expenses. The costs for cycles without heat recovery in June were 4.62 and 0.9 $/m³ for solar energy and waste heat, respectively. The cost of heat recovery cycles decreased to 4.25 and 0.65 $/m³.