Membrane crystallization via membrane distillation

Crystallization is a solid-liquid separation technique in which solid crystals are formed from a liquid solution. It has been usually employed in separation and purification of industrial streams using traditional devices as crystallizers or evaporators. Nowadays, membrane technology appears as the alternative technology that could replace the conventional crystallizers because of its advantages related to its adaptability and the low energy consumption in comparison with the conventional technology. In this review, membrane crystallization via membrane distillation is addressed. The membrane performance, operating conditions, technical obstacles and the novelties of the technology are presented, including the applications and the future perspectives.