Analysis of environmental dust and mud adhesion on aluminum surface in relation to solar energy harvesting

•Dried mud solution forms crystals at surface due to dissolution of alkaline and alkaline earth compounds.•Crystal size is affected by mud solution drying temperature and they reduce at high temperatures.•Drying temperature enhances adhesion force required to remove dried solution from surface.•Surface hardness increases with temperature because of crystal size change at surface. In the present study, adhesion of dried mud solution formed on the aluminium surface is investigated and the characteristics of the mud solution are examined using the analytical tools. The adhesion force and the adhesion work required to remove the dried mud solution from the aluminium surface are measured. The findings revealed that the dried mud solution forms crystals with varying sizes on the aluminium surface depending on the mud drying temperature. The dissolution of alkaline and earth alkaline compounds in water is responsible for the formation of crystals on the aluminium surface. The adhesion force and the adhesion work increase significantly as the mud solution drying temperature increases.