Experimental Investigation of an Integrated Solar Green House for Water Desalination, Plantation and Wastewater Treatment in Remote Arid Egyptian Communities

Desalination/plantation/treatment is the current article target to supply an adequate amount of drinking and irrigation water as well as wastewater treatment for safe disposal to people across the new communities along the remote and arid areas in Egypt. In the present study, an Integrated Solar Green House (ISGH) for water desalination, plantation and wastewater treatment is constructed and field tested under actual meteorological conditions at Giza, Egypt. The ISGH system uses the solar water desalination principle and works by saturating air with moisture vaporizing from brackish/seawater inside a greenhouse followed by dehumidifying, causing freshwater condensation. Different experiments have been performed on the ISGH to evaluate its thermal performance under the actual field meteorological conditions. The results indicated that the present ISGH can be used successfully to provide a low-cost solution in arid areas, where the fresh water is very limited. In addition, it is a relevant method of cultivation that provides desalinated water, cooling environment and humidifying environment in an integrated system. Self-sufficient water production combined with low internal irrigation requirements mean that the ISGH offers significant water saving by reducing agricultural demand. The present system fulfils the safe disposal of treated waste water and to reduce the highly contaminated/ polluted waste water discharged directly or indirectly on the ground water.