Corrigendum to “Integrating geothermal energy and desalination unit into a poly-generation configuration: Comprehensive study and optimization” [Desalination Volume 586, 1 October 2024, 117873

Vertically-oriented paper sheets with fibers coated with carbon black as heat absorbers in solar stills for water harvesting and desalination

A robust Ti3C2T /alginate hydrogel reinforced with wheat straw cellulose microfibers (CMFs) for highly durable solar-driven water evaporation and desalination

Recent progress in polyvinyl alcohol-based pervaporation membranes for water desalination: An up-to-date review

Light- and heat-responsive interpenetrating polymer networks for solar-driven water desalination

Wind-powered multistage vacuum membrane distillation for sustainable water desalination

Electrodialysis for sustainable water desalination: Principles, applications, challenges, and future directions

Clathrate hydrates are fascinating materials that offer many attractive benefits for carbon sequestration, water desalination, intermittent natural gas storage, chemical separations, and other applications. However, their slow growth kinetics prevents the cost-effective realization of hydrate-based technologies. To overcome this challenge, chemical additives have been identified to control hydrates' growth rate. Among others, the surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and the amino acid L-tryptophan (TRP) are both effective at low concentrations. While SDS is widely available but raises environmental concerns, TRP is environmentally benign. Although both SDS and TRP are interfacially active, the molecular mechanism responsible for their ability to enhance hydrate growth is not known, nor is the reason why these compounds are effective at low concentrations. It is demonstrated here that both SDS and TRP, when adsorbed, affect the thickness of the quasi-liquid layer (QLL) at the hydrate-water interface, which, in turn, promotes the adsorption of CO2 from the liquid phase to the growing hydrate. The QLL amplifies the effect to mesoscopic length scales, explaining why small amounts of these surface-active compounds enhance hydrate growth rate.

Temporal insights into electromagnetic field-tuned scaling pathways of CaCO3 and CaSO4•2H2O during reverse osmosis desalination of real brackish water

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are toxic pollutants primarily generated from fossil fuel combustion and crude oil release. Rabigh city's coastal area, home to industries like cement, petrochemical, desalination, and power plants, faces PAH contamination. This study assesses the levels and distribution of 16 priority PAHs in surface and near-bottom waters. PAH concentrations in surface water ranged from 57.99 to 496.21ng/L, with an average of 188.95ng/L, while near-bottom waters showed values from 123.94 to 665.99ng/L, averaging 285.49ng/L. The higher levels in near-bottom waters are due to PAHs' hydrophobic nature, causing accumulation in sediments. Wind direction influenced PAH concentrations, with higher levels in the southeast and lower levels in the northwest. The highest PAH concentrations were near industrial discharge pipes. Molecular diagnostic ratios and principal component analysis indicated mixed pyrogenic and petrogenic PAH sources. Carcinogenic PAH levels ranged from 2.69-28.00ng/L in surface waters and 4.39-45.90ng/L in near-bottom waters. Toxic equivalent (TEQ) and mutagenic equivalent (MEQ) concentrations were recorded as 3.74ng TEQ/L and 2.71ng MEQ/L for surface waters, and 10.05ng TEQ/L and 7.88ng MEQ/L for near-bottom waters. Higher concentrations of certain PAHs exceeded environmental regulation limits, posing risks to marine ecosystems.

Natural eumelanin exhibits exceptional photoprotective and light-management functions, largely attributed to its fundamental building block 5,6-dihydroxyindole-2-carboxylic acid (DHICA). However, the disordered polymeric structure of eumelanin has hindered the establishment of clear structure-property relationships. While DHICA is a pivotal precursor in eumelanin biosynthesis with superior energy dissipation capacity and metal-binding capability, its potential in constructing bioinspired photothermal systems remains underexplored. Herein, we propose a well-defined Fe3+-DHICA coordination complex as a model system to modulate the light-harvesting properties via ligand-to-metal charge transfer (LMCT) strategy. This molecular-level engineering significantly narrows the energy bandgap and extends absorption into the near-infrared (NIR) region. Through rational complexation with Fe3+, we construct stable Fe3+-DHICA networks that exhibit broad and intense LMCT-mediated absorption spanning the UV to NIR regions. This coordination not only suppresses undesired decarboxylation but also promotes efficient nonradiative relaxation for heat generation. The optimized complex demonstrates exceptional solar-driven water evaporation performance when coated on a cellulose foam-based evaporator and enables efficient solar-driven water desalination with excellent evaporation rates and cycling stability. This work offers a deeper understanding of metallo-melanin photophysics and provides a versatile strategy for designing high-performance solar-thermal materials based on eumelanin precursors.

This study presents a novel Solar-Assisted Air Gap Membrane Distillation Desalination System (SAGMDDS) designed for efficient treatment of high-TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) Persian Gulf seawater, leveraging the region's abundant solar irradiance. Unlike conventional setups, this SAGMDDS employs readily available materials and a simple, original module layout to reduce system complexity and cost. Utilizing air gap membrane distillation (AGMD) with polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) membranes, the system achieved high desalination efficiency, reducing TDS from 48,000ppm to 60ppm, corresponding to over 99.9% salt rejection. The influence of key operational parameters, including feed flow rate, temperature, and air gap uniformity, on performance was evaluated. Critical design challenges such as thermal membrane deformation and uneven condensation leading to air gap collapse, were also addressed through targeted design innovations, including optimized condensate plate inclination angles and spacer reinforcements strategies. Experimental findings highlighted the importance of module configuration. A fragmented, brick-like spacer layout with 90° inclination and 70 L/h feed flow rate at 60°C yielded the highest permeate flux of 12.3 L/m2·h, while a mesh support structure resulted in the lowest flux (4.5 L/m2·h). This practical and innovative system advances solar-integrated AGMD technology and demonstrates its potential for sustainable desalination in arid, high-salinity regions.

Day-ahead coordination between the desalination plant and power distribution system: A Stackelberg game-based method

• DRES reduces energy costs to $0.09/kWh with an 18 % renewable fraction. • Optimal DRES cuts diesel usage by 21.6 % and CO₂ emissions by up to 60 %. • Lavan balances energy-to-employment, while Failaka maximizes local workforce use. • Sensitivity analysis reveals wind speed and PV derating as key performance factors. This study examines how distributed renewable energy systems can simultaneously meet electricity, thermal, and freshwater needs on three remote Persian Gulf islands: Failaka, Larak, and Lavan. By integrating renewable energy with reverse osmosis (RO) desalination, the study enhances resource management. The proposed configurations were assessed based on technical, economic, environmental, and social criteria, with Failaka emerging as the most efficient solution. Failaka achieved a net present cost (NPC) of $1.09 M, a cost of electricity (COE) of $0.091/kWh, and a renewable fraction (RF) of 17.8% while reducing diesel and natural gas consumption by 21.6% and 1.4%, respectively, compared to Larak and Lavan. A comparative analysis highlights significant cost and performance variations, with Failaka demonstrating the lowest energy costs and highest renewable integration, whereas Larak (RF = 14.3%, NPC = $1.21 M, COE = $0.101/kWh) and Lavan (RF = 13.7%, NPC = $1.22 M, COE = $0.101/kWh) exhibit higher costs and lower renewable contributions. Sensitivity analysis highlights the influence of wind speed, derating factors, and fuel prices, with increased wind penetration reducing COE from $0.12/kWh to $0.08/kWh. Heat recovery integration further optimizes costs and emissions. Failaka also demonstrates superior socio-economic benefits, including job creation and the lowest carbon footprint, reinforcing sustainability. This work differs from existing energy-water-heat studies by introducing an integrated cogeneration framework that couples renewable electricity, waste-heat utilization, and RO desalination within a single optimized system.

Saline water poses significant risks to human health and the environment, contaminating freshwater sources and causing corrosion of infrastructure. It is unsuitable for domestic uses such as drinking, washing, and bathing. Membrane-based desalination technologies, particularly Reverse Osmosis (RO) and Nanofiltration (NF), are among the most effective methods for mitigating these challenges. Thin-film composite (TFC) membranes have shown high potential for achieving excellent water flux and salt rejection at low operating pressures. However, their performance is limited by the trade-off between salt rejection and water permeability, as well as frequent membrane fouling. To address these limitations, graphene oxide (GO) nanoparticles were synthesized using an improved Hummers’ method and incorporated into TFC membranes to enhance their desalination performance. The polyamide (PA) active layer was fabricated via interfacial polymerization (IP), while the polyether sulfone (PES) support layer was prepared using phase inversion induced by immersion precipitation. The resulting GO-modified thin-film nanocomposite (TFN) membranes were developed to improve water flux, salt rejection, and antifouling properties, providing a potential solution to the problems associated with saline water. The structural and physicochemical properties of GO and the modified membranes were characterized using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis).

Janus MXene/dialdehyde chitosan modified collagen phase change composite aerogel for highly efficient solar-driven seawater desalination and dye-polluted water purification

Brackish water desalination is a key solution for addressing the growing demand for drinking water in areas with limited access to freshwater resources. In this experimental study, reverse osmosis (RO), nanofiltration (NF), and single-pass electrodialysis (SPED) autonomous small-scale systems were investigated for brackish water desalination based on salt removal, specific energy consumption (SEC), and thermodynamic energy efficiency. With a production capacity of 40–180 L/h at a common recovery of 30 %, RO could achieve permeate salinities <1000 mg/L at feed salinities up to 12 g/L, whereas NF and SPED were limited to 10 and 6 g/L, respectively. Under typical operation, defined here by 10 % recovery for a single NF/RO module and 50 % for a SPED system, permeate quality with salinity below 1000 mg/L could be achieved at ≤17.5 g/L for RO, and ≤ 15 g/L for NF and SPED. When operating at comparable recovery (30 %), SPED demonstrated lower SEC (0.7–1.4 Wh/L) than NF (1.8–3.2 Wh/L) and RO (2.4–3.7 Wh/L) across the investigated salinities 1–12 g/L. However, operating NF/RO at 10 % doubled the SEC due to reduced permeate production, while SPED maintained a stable SEC under 50 % recovery. For brackish water up to 12 g/L salinity, SPED showed higher energy efficiency than NF and RO when comparing experimental SEC with the minimum energy for desalination. These findings highlight the potential of SPED for low-to-moderate salinity brackish water, the suitability of NF/RO for stricter water quality, and the need for optimized recovery or hybrid processes to balance energy use and performance. • SPED and NF/RO systems were compared for brackish water desalination • Reducing the recovery of NF/RO from 30 to 10 % improved permeate quality and SEC • At 50 % recovery, SPED achieved <1 g/L permeate TDS for salinities up to 15 g/L • RO at 10 % recovery achieved <1 g/L permeate TDS for salinities up to 17.5 g/L • SPED was overall more energy efficient compared to NF/RO

Magnetically driven engineering of magnetic hydroxyapatite/CA RO membranes: Enhancing surface physicochemical properties for high-performance water desalination

Abstract The escalating global demand for fresh water necessitates sustainable desalination solutions. Humidification-dehumidification (HDH) solar desalination systems offer a promising and low-impact approach to environmental sustainability. This paper details a thorough investigation into optimizing the performance of these systems. A detailed model is developed encompassing the solar collector, humidifier, dehumidifier, and condenser, incorporating governing equations for the transfer of heat and mass. This model is intended to be validated by a small-scale HDH desalination setup. Furthermore, the paper introduces a novel multi-objective heuristic gradient projection (MO-HGP) optimization technique. This method simultaneously considers objectives of maximizing freshwater production rate and system performance efficiency, leveraging heuristic principles and gradient projection to identify optimal system configurations. After applying the optimization and machine learning technique, a detailed analysis of performance improvements is compared to conventional approaches. Finally, to enhance efficiency and promote wider adoption, the research implements the integration of a solar tracking system (STS) into an existing HDH desalination unit. The theoretical and practical impacts of STS on increased solar energy collection and its direct correlation with higher freshwater production rates are analyzed. Through this integrated approach of theoretical modeling, and advanced optimization, including solar tracking, this paper demonstrates the potential for a significant average annual efficiency improvement of approximately 23%. This advancement substantially enhances the viability of solar-powered HDH desalination, particularly for remote areas with significant solar exposure and limited water availability, offering a pathway for more sustainable water resource management.

This study investigates the prevalence and sources of microplastics (MPs, 300–5,000 µm) in the marine environment of Abu Dhabi Emirate, UAE—an underexplored region with significant anthropogenic influence. Samples were collected from ten ecologically distinct site categories, including areas near oilfields, near desalination plants, port and marinas, aquaculture activities, public beaches, confined areas, newly developed areas, point sources, near offshore islands and natural habitats. “Natural habitats” showed the lowest MP levels (3.33 particles/100 g sediment; 4.5 P/L water), while sites near oilfields, ports, and offshore islands had the highest (8.2–9.3 P/L water; 5.0–6.6 P/100 g sediment). A total of 1,493 MPs were characterized by size, shape, and color. Polymer analysis of 240 MPs identified acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene (31%), cellulose acetate (27%), nylon-66 (20%), and PET (10%) as dominant types. Smaller MPs (100–300 µm) were also quantified at selected categories. Pollution Load Index (PLI) analysis, using natural habitats as a baseline, indicated the greatest anthropogenic impact near offshore oilfields and islands, highlighting spatial variations in MP contamination.