An experimental study of a solar water desalination using an air bubble column humidifier is investigated. The characteristics of the generated bubbles are modified by using a different sieve plate with different hole size. The effect of water temperature, air flow rate, water height, and sieve's hole diameter on desalination performance is studied. The results showed that the daily productivity, efficiency and gain output ratio are 21 kg, 63%, and 0.53 respectively; at inlet water temperature is 62 degrees C. The change in the temperature difference along the column is less than 2.5 degrees C for all measurements. The best performance is observed from sieve with 1 mm hole diameter at which the outlet air from the bubble columns is always saturated. The air bubble column achieves higher performance than that for the conventional humidifier. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.