Status of solar thermal-driven reverse osmosis desalination

Abstract

Experience in combining solar thermal and seawater or brackish water reverse osmosis (RO) desalination technologies is very limited. Two SOFRETES systems were in operation in the early 1980s for brackish water desalination. Only such two implementations involving a single design can be cited, along with a reduced number of theoretical analyses and design proposals. Nevertheless, since RO is the most cost-effective desalination technology and its energy requirements are low, solar thermal-driven reverse osmosis desalination is promising in comparison to other desalination processes driven by solar energy. In addition the research conducted in other renewable energy-driven RO technologies would be profitable for developing RO technology based on solar thermal systems as special designs of energy recovery systems, direct coupling of wind and photovoltaic systems without batteries or assessment of membranes damage due to change of operational parameters in stand-alone systems.