ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT: This paper consists of two different studies. At first, a Tubular Solar Still (TSS) is proposed to easily remove accumulated salt, which have been the main drawbacks in the basin-type still. To provide better understanding of the mechanism in the distilled water production of the TSS, a field experiment was carried out in the United Arab Emirates in 2002. This paper describes the monthly and diurnal variations of production and the effects of evaporation and condensation on the productivity of the still. Secondly, new use of date-palm as mulch is proposed to improve the soil moisture retention capacity from a viewpoint of the application of unused materials to agriculture in the Middle East. Therefore, heat and moisture transfer experiments were conducted using soil columns and date-palm chips. This paper also describes the performance of the mulch, i.e. evaporation control and suppression of soil-temperature rise associated with incoming short-wave.
