Review
Environmental Sciences
Abderrahim Maftouh, Omkaltoume El Fatni, Siham Bouzekri, Fateme Rajabi, Mika Sillanpaa, Muhammad Hammad Butt
Summary: Disparities in rainfall distribution and drought have led to the depletion of groundwater reservoirs in many places, while improper disposal of waste has resulted in poor water drainage and quality deterioration. Desalination, particularly through solar-powered methods, has been identified as an effective solution for treating unconventional water sources. This article summarizes the challenges and future prospects associated with solar-powered desalination units, as well as discusses hybrid technologies like solar-wind desalination and RO-ED crystallizer technology in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Sanjana Yagnambhatt, Saber Khanmohammadi, Jonathan Maisonneuve
Summary: This study investigates the concept of using heat to enhance reverse osmosis (RO) desalination. The effect of temperature on water permeate flux, specific energy, permeate quality, and applied operating pressures is evaluated using an analytical model. The results suggest that under specific conditions, the tradeoff between savings in mechanical pump work and thermal energy input in thermally-enhanced RO can be favorable, leading to overall energy savings.
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Dian Zhang, Masakoto Kanezashi, Toshinori Tsuru, Kazuki Yamamoto, Takahiro Gunji, Yohei Adachi, Joji Ohshita
Summary: Epoxy-based reverse osmosis membranes with an organically bridged polysilsesquioxane skeleton were prepared by a sol-gel process. The use of epoxy-containing monomer significantly improved the membrane performance and stability.
JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Bijan Rahimi, Hamed Shirvani, Ali Asghar Alamolhoda, Fathollah Farhadi, Mohammadreza Karimi
Summary: This paper explores the feasibility of using solar-powered reverse osmosis desalination systems for small-scale applications in Iran. Through the consideration of different scenarios and technological improvements, it concludes that these systems are economically viable.
Article
Thermodynamics
Athaya Fairuz, M. Faeshol Umam, M. Hasanuzzaman, N. A. Rahim, I. M. Mujtaba
Summary: The demand for clean water has increased significantly due to global population growth. This paper analyzes the energy, economic, and environmental performance of a photovoltaic-powered desalination system, showing that the system without battery storage is the most economically profitable and has the highest CO2 emissions avoidance.
ENERGY CONVERSION AND MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Chao Chen, Yu Yang, Nigel J. D. Graham, Zhenyu Li, Xingtao Yang, Zhining Wang, Nadia Farhat, Johannes S. Vrouwenvelder, Li -an Hou
Summary: The fouling of seawater reverse osmosis membranes is a persistent challenge in desalination. This study monitored the operational performance of a desalination plant for 7 years and the fouling development in different areas of membrane modules. The findings showed that operational performance declined over time and fouling mainly occurred at the feed side of the modules, with the highest microbial diversity. Keystone species like Chloroflexi and Planctomycetes played an important role in maintaining community structure and biofilm maturation. Polysaccharides, soluble microbial products, marine humic acid-like substances, and inorganic substances contributed to fouling. Overall, biofouling had a significant impact on membrane fouling after 7 years of operation.
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Youssef-Amine Boussouga, Bryce S. Richards, Andrea Schaefer
Summary: Directly-powered PV-membrane systems operate without energy storage components, leading to fluctuations in membrane performance. The resilience of these systems depends on membrane type, with tighter NF/RO membranes showing higher resilience to permeate quality variations but lower resilience to SEC fluctuations. System resilience exhibited a recovery time range of 50-350 seconds determined by the duration of the fluctuation.
JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Mohamed R. Gomaa, Ala'a K. Al-Bawwat, Mujahed Al-Dhaifallah, Hegazy Rezk, Mohsen Ahmed
Summary: This study investigates the use of renewable energy systems to operate a SWRO desalination station. The optimal hybrid power system configuration is PV-Wind-Diesel Generator-Battery, which has the lowest cost of energy and CO2 emissions.
Article
Thermodynamics
Mohamed Abdelgaied, A. E. Kabeel, A. W. Kandeal, H. F. Abosheiasha, S. M. Shalaby, Mofreh H. Hamed, Nu Yang, Swellam W. Sharshir
Summary: This study successfully simulated a new hybrid desalination unit merging humidification-dehumidification and reverse osmosis techniques, utilizing photovoltaic systems for power and thermal energy recovery units to enhance freshwater production and energy efficiency.
ENERGY CONVERSION AND MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Ariana M. Pietrasanta, Sergio F. Mussati, Pio A. Aguirre, Ignacio Schmidhalter, Tatiana Morosuk, Miguel C. Mussati
Summary: This paper presents the optimal integration of wind turbines and/ or photovoltaics with membrane-based seawater desalination units to fulfill freshwater demand. The possibility of variable freshwater storage is considered for a cost-effective process design. Total cost minimization is the objective function. Real data on renewable resources from NASA is used. No electrical grid connection is taken into account. The implemented model evaluates the capacity of wind and solar energy in meeting variable freshwater demands based on meteorological data. Two cities in Argentina, Rio Grande and Camarones, are used as case studies to compare optimal solutions obtained using solar and/or wind systems.
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Bastiaan Blankert, Fernan D. Martinez, Johannes S. Vrouwenvelder, Cristian Picioreanu
Summary: Perimeter artefacts, such as membrane damage and unrepresentative hydrodynamics, can significantly affect bench scale performance evaluation. However, the effect can be mitigated by measuring salt rejection from only the central area of the coupon.
Article
Thermodynamics
Xiaotian Lai, Rui Long, Zhichun Liu, Wei Liu
Summary: The study proposes a self-diluted 2-stage reverse osmosis system to consume solar energy for fresh water production and stable salinity gradient energy. The impact of hydraulic pressure difference and diluted fraction ratio on water production and energy storage performance were investigated, leading to performance optimization and improved recovery ratio and energy efficiency.
ENERGY CONVERSION AND MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Review
Thermodynamics
Sivakumar Vaithilingam, Sakthivel Thirumalai Gopal, Senthil Kumar Srinivasan, A. Muthu Manokar, Ravishankar Sathyamurthy, Ganapathy Sundaram Esakkimuthu, Ravinder Kumar, Mohsen Sharifpur
Summary: The scarcity of freshwater is a major threat to sustainable environmental development. Solar energy desalination is considered a suitable and cost-effective technique to convert brackish water into freshwater. Compared to traditional desalination processes, desalination using solar energy is more efficient and economical.
JOURNAL OF THERMAL ANALYSIS AND CALORIMETRY
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
P. T. P. Aryanti, M. Y. Afred, A. K. Wardani, G. Lugito, G. T. M. Kadja, I. G. Wenten, K. Khoiruddin
Summary: The development of ultra-low-pressure RO (ULPRO) membranes provides a cost-effective and energy-efficient technology for supplying fresh water from saline water. This paper comprehensively reviews the emergence of ULPRO membranes, the strategies for improving their performance, and the utilization of nanomaterials in membrane modification. The prospects of hollow fiber membrane in addressing the high surface and packing density requirements with low manufacturing cost and pressure drop are also discussed. Furthermore, the current challenges and future directions of ULPRO membranes for desalination are provided as guidance for further improvements.
Review
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Ewaoche John Okampo, Nnamdi Nwulu
Summary: This study extensively reviewed the optimization of RES-RO desalination system, proposing key recommendations that include combining system sizing, operation, and thermodynamic effects in optimization approaches. Future work should incorporate economic and reliability indices, introduce demand response programs for system management to minimize costs and maximize fresh-water production.
RENEWABLE & SUSTAINABLE ENERGY REVIEWS
(2021)
