Review of solar-enabled desalination and implications for zero-liquid-discharge applications

Fthenakis, Vasilis; Xu, Pei; Zhang, Zhuoran; Sitterley, Kurban; Lugo, Abdiel; Wang, Huiyao; Kuravi, Sarada; Kota, Krishna; Dani, Nikhil; Atia, Adam; Kurup, Parthiv; Miara, Ariel

doi:10.1088/2516-1083/ad43aa

Title: Review of solar-enabled desalination and implications for zero-liquid-discharge applications

Journal Article · 23 May 2024 · Progress in Energy

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1088/2516-1083/ad43aa · OSTI ID:2361178

; Xu, Pei; Zhang, Zhuoran; Sitterley, Kurban; Lugo, Abdiel; Wang, Huiyao; Kuravi, Sarada; Kota, Krishna; Dani, Nikhil; Atia, Adam; Kurup, Parthiv; Miara, Ariel

Abstract The production of freshwater from desalinating abundant saline water on the planet is increasingly considered a climate change adaptation measure. Yet, there are challenges associated with the high cost, intensive energy demand, and environmental implications of desalination. Effective integration of solar energy generation and freshwater production can address both issues. This review article highlights recent key advances in such integration achieved in a joint-research university-national laboratory partnership under the auspices of the United States Department of Energy and parallel efforts worldwide. First, an overview of current and emerging desalination technologies and associated pretreatment, brine treatment, and valorization technologies that together can result in zero-liquid-discharge systems is presented, and their technological readiness levels are evaluated. Then, advanced modeling techniques and new software platforms that enable optimization of solar-desalination applications with the dual objective of cost and environmental impact minimization are discussed.

View Journal Article

Cite

Export

Save

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)

Grant/Contract Number:: AC36-08GO28308

OSTI ID:: 2361178

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 2340968; OSTI ID: 2375033

Journal Information:: Progress in Energy, Journal Name: Progress in Energy Journal Issue: 3 Vol. 6; ISSN 2516-1083

Publisher:: IOP PublishingCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United Kingdom

Language:: English

References (65)

The economic value of the extracted elements from brine concentrates of Spanish desalination plants del Villar, Alberto; Melgarejo, Joaquín; García-López, Marcos Desalination, Vol. 560 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.desal.2023.116678	journal	August 2023
Performance increase of membrane distillation pilot scale modules operating in vacuum-enhanced air-gap configuration Andrés-Mañas, J. A.; Ruiz-Aguirre, A.; Acién, F. G. Desalination, Vol. 475 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.desal.2019.114202	journal	February 2020
Characterization of produced water and surrounding surface water in the Permian Basin, the United States Jiang, Wenbin; Xu, Xuesong; Hall, Ryan Journal of Hazardous Materials, Vol. 430 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2022.128409	journal	May 2022
Commercial scale membrane distillation for solar desalination Zaragoza, G.; Andrés-Mañas, J. A.; Ruiz-Aguirre, A. npj Clean Water, Vol. 1, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41545-018-0020-z	journal	October 2018
Theoretical performance prediction of a reverse osmosis desalination membrane element under variable operating conditions Dimitriou, Evangelos; Boutikos, Panagiotis; Mohamed, Essam Sh. Desalination, Vol. 419 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.desal.2017.06.001	journal	October 2017
Active-salinity-control reverse osmosis desalination as a flexible load resource Atia, Adam A.; Fthenakis, Vasilis Desalination, Vol. 468 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.desal.2019.07.002	journal	October 2019
Performance and economic investigations of solar power tower plant integrated with direct contact membrane distillation system Soomro, Mujeeb Iqbal; Kim, Woo-Seung Energy Conversion and Management, Vol. 174 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enconman.2018.08.056	journal	October 2018
Why is powering thermal desalination with concentrated solar power expensive? assessing economic feasibility and market commercialization barriers Alhaj, Mohamed; Al-Ghamdi, Sami G. Solar Energy, Vol. 189 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solener.2019.07.046	journal	September 2019
Application of advanced energy storage materials in direct solar desalination: A state of art review Jamil, Furqan; Hassan, Faisal; Shoeibi, Shahin Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Vol. 186 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2023.113663	journal	October 2023
Techno-economic assessment of a novel algal-membrane system versus conventional wastewater treatment and advanced potable reuse processes: Part II Lugo, Abdiel; Xu, Xuesong; Abeysiriwardana-Arachchige, I. S. A. Journal of Environmental Management, Vol. 331 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.117189	journal	April 2023
Desalination brine disposal methods and treatment technologies - A review Panagopoulos, Argyris; Haralambous, Katherine-Joanne; Loizidou, Maria Science of The Total Environment, Vol. 693 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.07.351	journal	November 2019
Salinity of deep groundwater in California: Water quantity, quality, and protection Kang, Mary; Jackson, Robert B. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Vol. 113, Issue 28 https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1600400113	journal	June 2016
Interplay of the Factors Affecting Water Flux and Salt Rejection in Membrane Distillation: A State-of-the-Art Critical Review Chen, Lin; Xu, Pei; Wang, Huiyao Water, Vol. 12, Issue 10 https://doi.org/10.3390/w12102841	journal	October 2020
Comparative techno-economic assessment of osmotically-assisted reverse osmosis and batch-operated vacuum-air-gap membrane distillation for high-salinity water desalination Zhang, Z.; Atia, A. A.; Andrés-Mañas, J. A. Desalination, Vol. 532 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.desal.2022.115737	journal	June 2022
A novel ammonia—carbon dioxide forward (direct) osmosis desalination process McCutcheon, Jeffrey R.; McGinnis, Robert L.; Elimelech, Menachem Desalination, Vol. 174, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.desal.2004.11.002	journal	April 2005
Primary energy and exergy of desalination technologies in a power-water cogeneration scheme Altmann, Thomas; Robert, Justin; Bouma, Andrew Applied Energy, Vol. 252 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2019.113319	journal	October 2019
Evaluation of Permeate Quality in Pilot Scale Membrane Distillation Systems Ruiz-Aguirre, Alba; Andrés-Mañas, Juan A.; Zaragoza, Guillermo Membranes, Vol. 9, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes9060069	journal	June 2019
A Thermal Model for Predicting the Performance of a Solar Still with Fresnel Lens Johnson, Ana; Mu, Lei; Park, Young Ho Water, Vol. 11, Issue 9 https://doi.org/10.3390/w11091860	journal	September 2019
Oil and Gas Produced Water Reuse: Opportunities, Treatment Needs, and Challenges Cooper, Carolyn M.; McCall, James; Stokes, Sean C. ACS ES&T Engineering, Vol. 2, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1021/acsestengg.1c00248	journal	December 2021
Zero liquid discharge technology for recovery, reuse, and reclamation of wastewater: A critical review Date, Manali; Patyal, Vandana; Jaspal, Dipika Journal of Water Process Engineering, Vol. 49 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jwpe.2022.103129	journal	October 2022
Integrating Solar Energy, Desalination, and Electrolysis Ginsberg, Michael; Zhang, Zhuoran; Atia, Adam A. Solar RRL, Vol. 6, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1002/solr.202100732	journal	April 2022
Efficiency in the use of solar thermal energy of small membrane desalination systems for decentralized water production Zaragoza, G.; Ruiz-Aguirre, A.; Guillén-Burrieza, E. Applied Energy, Vol. 130 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2014.02.024	journal	October 2014
Techno-economic review of solar distillation systems: A closer look at the recent developments for commercialisation Katekar, Vikrant P.; Deshmukh, Sandip S. Journal of Cleaner Production, Vol. 294 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.126289	journal	April 2021
Brackish groundwater in the United States Stanton, Jennifer S.; Anning, David W.; Brown, Craig J. https://doi.org/10.3133/pp1833	report	January 2017
State-of-the-art of reverse osmosis desalination Fritzmann, C.; Löwenberg, J.; Wintgens, T. Desalination, Vol. 216, Issue 1-3 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.desal.2006.12.009	journal	October 2007
A Critical Review of Analytical Methods for Comprehensive Characterization of Produced Water Jiang, Wenbin; Lin, Lu; Xu, Xuesong Water, Vol. 13, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.3390/w13020183	journal	January 2021
Scalable Fabric‐Based Solar Steam Generator Li, Yaping; Wang, Run; Zhang, Li Advanced Functional Materials https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202312613	journal	February 2024
Desalination by the forward osmosis: Advancement and challenges Abounahia, Nada; Ibrar, Ibrar; Kazwini, Tayma Science of The Total Environment, Vol. 886 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.163901	journal	August 2023
Assessment of a pilot system for seawater desalination based on vacuum multi-effect membrane distillation with enhanced heat recovery Andrés-Mañas, J. A.; Ruiz-Aguirre, A.; Acién, F. G. Desalination, Vol. 443 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.desal.2018.05.025	journal	October 2018
Energy efficiency and renewable energy utilization in desalination systems Gude, Veera Gnaneswar; Fthenakis, Vasilis Progress in Energy, Vol. 2, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1088/2516-1083/ab7bf6	journal	April 2020
Polyelectrolyte-Promoted Forward Osmosis–Membrane Distillation (FO–MD) Hybrid Process for Dye Wastewater Treatment Ge, Qingchun; Wang, Peng; Wan, Chunfeng Environmental Science & Technology, Vol. 46, Issue 11 https://doi.org/10.1021/es300784h	journal	May 2012
Impacts of seasonality and operating conditions on algal-dual osmosis membrane system for potable water reuse: Part 2 Bandara, G. L. Chathurika L.; Abeysiriwardana-Arachchige, Isuru S. A.; Xu, Xuesong Journal of Environmental Management, Vol. 304 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.114295	journal	February 2022
Pathways for minimal and zero liquid discharge with enhanced reverse osmosis technologies: Module-scale modeling and techno-economic assessment Atia, Adam A.; Yip, Ngai Yin; Fthenakis, Vasilis Desalination, Vol. 509 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.desal.2021.115069	journal	August 2021
Solar Energy for Clean and Affordable Water Desalination Fthenakis, V. M.; Atia, Adam A. 2017 IEEE 44th Photovoltaic Specialists Conference (PVSC), 2017 IEEE 44th Photovoltaic Specialist Conference (PVSC) https://doi.org/10.1109/PVSC.2017.8366282	conference	June 2017
Critical Review of Desalination Concentrate Management, Treatment and Beneficial Use Xu, Pei; Cath, Tzahi Y.; Robertson, Alexander P. Environmental Engineering Science, Vol. 30, Issue 8 https://doi.org/10.1089/ees.2012.0348	journal	August 2013
Pipe Parity Analysis of Seawater Desalination in the United States: Exploring Costs, Energy, and Reliability via Case Studies and Scenarios of Emerging Technology Quon, Hunter; Sperling, Joshua; Coughline, Katie ACS ES&T Engineering, Vol. 2, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1021/acsestengg.1c00270	journal	December 2021
Pilot demonstration of the NH3/CO2 forward osmosis desalination process on high salinity brines McGinnis, Robert L.; Hancock, Nathan T.; Nowosielski-Slepowron, Marek S. Desalination, Vol. 312 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.desal.2012.11.032	journal	March 2013
Optimal technical and economic configuration of photovoltaic powered reverse osmosis desalination systems operating in autonomous mode Karavas, Christos-Spyridon; Arvanitis, Konstantinos G.; Papadakis, George Desalination, Vol. 466 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.desal.2019.05.007	journal	September 2019
Membrane distillation hybrids for water production and energy efficiency enhancement: A critical review Ghaffour, N.; Soukane, S.; Lee, J. -G. Applied Energy, Vol. 254 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2019.113698	journal	November 2019
Assessing the performance of solar desalination system to approach near-ZLD under hyper arid environment Mashaly, Ahmed F.; Alazba, A. A.; Al-Awaadh, A. M. Desalination and Water Treatment, Vol. 57, Issue 26 https://doi.org/10.1080/19443994.2015.1048738	journal	May 2015
Zero Liquid Discharge and Water Reuse in Recirculating Cooling Towers at Power Facilities: Review and Case Study Analysis Plata, Sophia L.; Devenport, Connie L.; Miara, Ariel ACS ES&T Engineering, Vol. 2, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1021/acsestengg.1c00377	journal	January 2022
An experimental study of hybrid photovoltaic thermal (PV/T)‐active solar still Kumar, Shiv; Tiwari, Arvind International Journal of Energy Research, Vol. 32, Issue 9 https://doi.org/10.1002/er.1388	journal	July 2008
Hybrid concentrated solar power (CSP)-desalination systems: A review Mohammadi, Kasra; Saghafifar, Mohammad; Ellingwood, Kevin Desalination, Vol. 468 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.desal.2019.114083	journal	October 2019
Deep groundwater quality in the southwestern United States Kang, Mary; Ayars, James E.; Jackson, Robert B. Environmental Research Letters, Vol. 14, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/aae93c	journal	March 2019
A mini-review on membrane fouling Guo, Wenshan; Ngo, Huu-Hao; Li, Jianxin Bioresource Technology, Vol. 122 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2012.04.089	journal	October 2012
Safe reuse of treated produced water outside oil and gas fields? A review of current practices, challenges, opportunities, and a risk-based pathway for produced water treatment and fit-for-purpose reuse Delanka-Pedige, Himali M. K.; Zhang, Yanyan; Young, Robert B. Current Opinion in Chemical Engineering, Vol. 42 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coche.2023.100973	journal	December 2023
Cost optimization of low-salt-rejection reverse osmosis Atia, Adam A.; Allen, Jeff; Young, Ethan Desalination, Vol. 551 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.desal.2023.116407	journal	April 2023
Membrane distillation: A comprehensive review Alkhudhiri, Abdullah; Darwish, Naif; Hilal, Nidal Desalination, Vol. 287 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.desal.2011.08.027	journal	February 2012
The sweet spot of forward osmosis: Treatment of produced water, drilling wastewater, and other complex and difficult liquid streams Coday, Bryan D.; Xu, Pei; Beaudry, Edward G. Desalination, Vol. 333, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.desal.2013.11.014	journal	January 2014
Energy storage for desalination processes powered by renewable energy and waste heat sources Gude, Veera Gnaneswar Applied Energy, Vol. 137 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2014.06.061	journal	January 2015
Renewable and sustainable approaches for desalination Gude, Veera Gnaneswar; Nirmalakhandan, Nagamany; Deng, Shuguang Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Vol. 14, Issue 9 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2010.06.008	journal	December 2010
Design of a Fuzzy Cognitive Maps variable-load energy management system for autonomous PV-reverse osmosis desalination systems: A simulation survey Kyriakarakos, George; Dounis, Anastasios I.; Arvanitis, Konstantinos G. Applied Energy, Vol. 187 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2016.11.077	journal	February 2017
Solar stills: A comprehensive review of designs, performance and material advances Dsilva Winfred Rufuss, D.; Iniyan, S.; Suganthi, L. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Vol. 63 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2016.05.068	journal	September 2016
Treating reverse osmosis concentrate to address scaling and fouling problems in zero-liquid discharge systems: A scientometric review of global trends Yaqub, Muhammad; Nguyen, Mai Ngoc; Lee, Wontae Science of The Total Environment, Vol. 844 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.157081	journal	October 2022
Analysis of Brackish Water Desalination for Municipal Uses: Case Studies on Challenges and Opportunities Xu, Xuesong; Ness, J. Erik; Miara, Ariel ACS ES&T Engineering, Vol. 2, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1021/acsestengg.1c00326	journal	February 2022
The IDAES process modeling framework and model library—Flexibility for process simulation and optimization Lee, Andrew; Ghouse, Jaffer H.; Eslick, John C. Journal of Advanced Manufacturing and Processing, Vol. 3, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1002/amp2.10095	journal	May 2021
Novel draw solution for forward osmosis based solar desalination Amjad, Muhammad; Gardy, Jabbar; Hassanpour, Ali Applied Energy, Vol. 230 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2018.08.021	journal	November 2018
Environmental impacts of desalination and brine treatment - Challenges and mitigation measures Panagopoulos, Argyris; Haralambous, Katherine-Joanne Marine Pollution Bulletin, Vol. 161 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2020.111773	journal	December 2020
Techno-economic assessment of carbon-based nanofluid dispersions in solar stills for rural coastal locations in the Northern and Southern hemispheres Hota, Sai Kiran; Mata-Torres, Carlos; Cardemil, Jose Miguel DESALINATION AND WATER TREATMENT, Vol. 245 https://doi.org/10.5004/dwt.2022.27942	journal	January 2022
Analysis of Regulatory Framework for Produced Water Management and Reuse in Major Oil- and Gas-Producing Regions in the United States Jiang, Wenbin; Lin, Lu; Xu, Xuesong Water, Vol. 14, Issue 14 https://doi.org/10.3390/w14142162	journal	July 2022
Desalination - Challenges and Opportunities Hossein Davood Abadi Farahani, Mohammad; Vatanpour, Vahid; Hooshang Taheri, Amir https://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.77449	book	July 2020
Multi-effect distillation plants: state of the art Al-Shammiri, M.; Safar, M. Desalination, Vol. 126, Issue 1-3 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0011-9164(99)00154-X	journal	November 1999
Experimental characterization of a multi-effect distillation system coupled to a flat plate solar collector field: Empirical correlations Chorak, Aicha; Palenzuela, Patricia; Alarcón-Padilla, Diego-César Applied Thermal Engineering, Vol. 120 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2017.03.115	journal	June 2017
Hydrophilic Superparamagnetic Nanoparticles: Synthesis, Characterization, and Performance in Forward Osmosis Processes Ge, Qingchun; Su, Jincai; Chung, Tai-Shung Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, Vol. 50, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1021/ie101013w	journal	November 2010
Cost-Effective ZLD Technology for Desalination Concentrate Management: Cost-Effective ZLD Technology for Desalination Concentrate Management Alspach, Brent; Juby, Graham Journal - American Water Works Association, Vol. 110, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.5942/jawwa.2018.110.0005	journal	January 2018

Similar Records

Mapping of a Novel Zero-Liquid Discharge Desalination System Based on Humidification–Dehumidification onto the Field of Existing Desalination Technologies

Journal Article · 2022 · Water (Basel) · OSTI ID:1884864

Romo, Sebastian A.; Elhashimi, Mohammed; Abbasi, Bahman; +1 more

Current challenges in hydrate‐based desalination: Kinetic and thermodynamic perspective

Journal Article · 2022 · Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering · OSTI ID:1907494

Khan, Muhammad Naveed; Xu, Hongfei; Peters, Cornelis J.; +1 more

Energy efficient supercritical water desalination using a high-temperature heat pump: A zero liquid discharge desalination

Journal Article · 2021 · Desalination · OSTI ID:1782805

Sharan, Prashant; McTigue, Joshua D.; Yoon, Tae Jun; +2 more

Title: Review of solar-enabled desalination and implications for zero-liquid-discharge applications

Citation Formats

References (65)

Similar Records

Related Subjects