Davarkhah Rabbani - Social Determinants of Health (SDH) Research Center, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran.
Amir Hossein Mahvi - Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Maryam Shaterian - Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Zanjan, Zanjan, Iran.
Reyhaneh Hesamifard - Social Determinants of Health (SDH) Research Center, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran.
Mohammad Rezvani Ghalhari - Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Morteza Kabiri - Social Determinants of Health (SDH) Research Center, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran.
Gholamreza Mostafaii - Social Determinants of Health (SDH) Research Center, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran.

Introduction: Accessibility to safe drinking water is an important human health issue, so water reuse and water resources management are critical in arid parts of developing  regions. This study aimed to investigate the use of a combined simple designed solar geyser/photocell for drinking water disinfection. Materials and Methods: In this study, a solar geyser with a simple design was combined with a solar cell and its efficiency on the disinfection of contaminated water was investigated. This study was carried out with artificially polluted tap water by a solar geyser joined with a solar photovoltaic cell. The heated water (۵۵°C) was kept for ۲ hours using a solenoid valve. The pilot plant was operated and monitored for one year. The volume of the collected effluent was measured every ۲۴ h. The most probably number (MPN) of total coliforms and fecal coliforms in ۱۰۰ mL of ۲۴-hour composed samples were measured. Results: The mean volume of disinfected water production was calculated as ۲۰۹۵.۷۴ ± ۲۷۰.۲۸ mL/day. The strongest correlation was found between disinfected water and the maximum daily ambient air temperature with a linear model (R۲ = ۰.۹۹۳۷). The results showed that by increasing the sunny time, the volume of water outlet increased. Therefore, sunny time and UV radiation have direct effect on volume of disinfected water. Conclusion: The simple designed solar geyser for drinking water disinfection was efficient and recommended for tropical areas, emergency conditions, and farms for agricultural activities.

Drinking Water, Water Disinfection, Solar Energy, Photovoltaic Cell.