Water desalination using a multilayer graphene oxide membrane: a molecular dynamics study.

• A Python model for semi-islanded green ammonia production was developed. • The LCOA ranges from 669.30 to 867.94 €/tNH 3 . • Power generation represents the largest share of total system costs. • The LCOA decreases by up to 15.15 % over the next two decades. • Dynamic operation achieves up to a 6 % reduction compared with continuous operation. The study presents a technical and economic assessment of green ammonia production in several counties in Ireland. The system is based on renewable energy sources, namely photovoltaic and offshore wind. Three locations were chosen based on their renewable potential and the availability of export ports to EU (European Union) markets. A high-temporal-resolution model for green ammonia production has been developed for the first time in Ireland. The WSA (Wind Solar Ammonia) model was developed specifically for this research. It uses MILP (Mixed Integer Linear Programming) and optimisation techniques to simulate scenarios at the lowest possible cost. The Python-based model incorporates all relevant energy subsystems and use functions from specialised libraries. The WSA model includes large-scale hydrogen production with proton exchange membrane electrolysers, air separation to produce nitrogen, Haber-Bosch ammonia synthesis, desalination unit. Storages buffers were implemented for green hydrogen, green ammonia, purified sea water, and nitrogen. Both continuous and dynamic operation were simulated, continuous operation reflects industrial reliability, stable equipment performance, and maximised lifetime, while dynamic operation captures renewable intermittency, curtailment reduction, and system flexibility. Cork is identified as the least-cost location, with the dynamic operation system achieving the lowest LCOA (Levelised Cost Of Ammonia) at 791.07 €/t in 2030 and 731.45 €/t in 2040, outperforming the continuous operation system, which records 834.27 €/t in 2030 and 741.62 €/t in 2040. The system achieve a carbon saving up to 94.63 % compared to the ammonia fossil fuel-based comparator.

A machine learning-based framework for early fault prediction in high-pressure pumps of reverse osmosis desalination plants: A case study from Morocco

The impact of using magnetic nanoparticles and a magnetic field on the performance of PCMs used in a spherical solar still for water desalination

Waste coffee ground-derived sponge: a multifunctional solar evaporator for synergistic water desalination and purification

Scaling dynamics in low-salt-rejection reverse osmosis for high-salinity produced water desalination: Mechanistic modeling and membrane autopsy

The development of advanced electrode materials is critical for improving the efficiency and durability of capacitive deionization (CDI) technologies for water desalination and separation processes. In this work, a novel conductive hydrogel based on agarose (Aga), tannic acid (TA), and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) was designed, optimized, and evaluated as a functional coating for CDI electrodes. The hydrogel formulation was systematically optimized by varying the TA and PEDOT:PSS contents, identifying an optimal composition containing 10 wt% TA and 20 wt% PEDOT:PSS. This formulation exhibited a favorable combination of mechanical robustness, high porosity (~93%), well-distributed pore size, preserved swelling capacity, and enhanced electrochemical properties. Electrochemical characterization revealed improved cathodic stability and capacitive behavior, supporting enhanced ion storage and transport. When implemented in CDI cells, the hydrogel-coated electrodes demonstrated significantly enhanced salt adsorption capacity and higher charge efficiency compared to conventional activated carbon (AC) electrodes. Although the initial salt adsorption capacity was slightly lower than that of other soft-coated electrodes, the gel-based system showed progressive performance improvement and superior long-term cycling stability during aging tests. The enhanced hydration, facilitated ion transport, and sustained structural integrity contributed to improved operational efficiency and durability. Overall, the proposed Aga-TA-PEDOT:PSS hydrogel represents a promising electrode material for energy-efficient, stable, and scalable CDI systems, with potential applications in low-salinity and brackish water treatment. • Conductive Aga-TA-PEDOT:PSS hydrogels developed as CDI electrode coatings. • Optimized hydrogel shows high porosity and mechanical stability. • Gel-coated electrodes enhance ion transport and adsorption efficiency. • Superior cycling stability achieved compared to bare carbon electrodes. • Hydrogel electrodes improve CDI efficiency with potential energy savings.

Advanced numerical analysis and hydrodynamic optimization of salt separation in supercritical water desalination

This experimental study investigates the performance and sustainability of a modified double-slope solar still (MDSSS) integrated with a combined water channel to enhance evaporation rates. The integration of the water channel ensures uniform water flow and enhanced heat distribution across the basin surface, thereby improving thermal performance. Experiments were conducted using three types of feed water, groundwater, saline water, and domestic wastewater, to assess the system’s versatility and effectiveness in various water desalination applications. Under identical meteorological conditions, thermal parameters, distillate yield, energy efficiency, and sustainability were analyzed. The results revealed that incorporating the water channel significantly increased evaporation and condensation rates compared to the conventional double-slope solar still (DSSS) configuration. Also, the performance of an MDSSS was evaluated under various water qualities, including physical, chemical, and biological parameters. The experiment begins at half the optimal water depth for water quality, with the remaining half passing through an open-channel attachment into the solar still basin. The modified system effectively reduced pollutants, achieving a 98.18% reduction in chemical oxygen demand in groundwater, complete salt removal from saline water, and a 96.67% reduction in sewage water.

The world faces a growing scarcity of freshwater resources. Desalination and wastewater reuse have therefore become essential pathways toward a sustainable water supply. Ultrapermeable reverse osmosis offers great promise for improving water production efficiency. However, their performance is hindered in spiral wound modules by inadequate boundary layer mass transfer, which leads to aggravated concentration polarization (CP) and membrane fouling, making module redesign essential. Herein we employ a high-fidelity three-dimensional multiphysics model to quantitatively and systematically evaluate the critical role of an innovative feed spacer design for ultrafast water desalination. The results indicate that the bioinspired spacer design breaks the mass transfer limits of conventional designs, significantly enhancing the boundary layer mass transfer coefficient by 121% compared to a commercial spacer, with only a 54% increase in the pressure loss. The innovative spacer can achieve to sustain an ultrahigh water flux of 245 L m-2 h-1 (lmh) with a CP below 1.25. In contrast, the commercial spacer exhibits a substantially lower water flux (139 lmh), higher CP (1.36) and thus elevates the risk of membrane fouling under identical conditions. This spacer design offers a pathway toward sustainable freshwater production via ultrafast desalination, addressing water scarcity with a lower-carbon footprint.

Water confined in zeolite-templated carbons (ZTCs) exhibits properties fundamentally different from those of bulk liquid, with profound implications for energy storage, separation technologies, and catalysis. Despite the technological importance of water behavior in ZTC nanopores, molecular-level understanding remains limited. This work presents comprehensive molecular dynamics (MD) simulations investigating the structure, dynamics, and hydrogen bonding characteristics of water confined within faujasite-derived ZTC. Classical MD simulations were developed with validated force fields to characterize radial and spatial distribution functions, hydrogen bond networks and lifetimes, cluster size distributions, domain formation, translational and rotational dynamics, and velocity autocorrelation functions. Systematic comparison with bulk liquid water reveals confinement-induced modifications to tetrahedral hydrogen bonding networks, spatial organization into discrete domains, hydrogen bond dynamics, and transport properties. The three-dimensional hierarchical pore topology of ZTC creates unique confinement environments distinct from one-dimensional nanotubes or two-dimensional slit pores. These findings provide molecular-level insights essential for the rational design of ZTC-based materials for electrochemical energy storage, water desalination membranes, proton exchange systems, and aqueous-phase catalysis, thereby advancing fundamental understanding of water confinement in complex carbon nanostructures.

In this study, two fully conjugated microporous polymers (ICTO-CMP1 and ICTO-CMP2) were synthesized via aldol condensation, and they hold broad light absorption properties, excellent photothermal conversion efficiency, and superior stability. Under 660nm laser irradiation at 100mW cm-2, the surface temperature of ICTO-CMP1 rapidly increased from room temperature to 140°C within 1min. Moreover, the interfacial solar evaporation system based on ICTO-CMP1 achieves a high water evaporation rate of 3.67kg m-2 h-1 with a solar-to-vapor efficiency of 96.3% under simulated sunlight irradiation, and the corresponding thermoelectric device delivers an output voltage of 290mV. Furthermore, ICTO-CMP1 enables simultaneous water desalination and electricity generation. This study offers a viable route for developing conjugated porous polymer-based solar absorbers for photo-thermo-electric conversion applications.

Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) are required to be safe, cost-effective, and demonstrate long-duration energy storage capabilities and sodium-based rechargeable seawater batteries can be promising candidates for such demanding applications. These batteries are ideal for coastal economies where the use of abundant seawater as cathode materials and their compartmentalized and adaptable design can be redesigned to enable water desalination, CO2 capture, and several other applications. Moreover, variants of these systems can potentially use metallic sodium with a very high volumetric energy density of >4 kWhl-1. Our technical assessments reveal that such configurations boast volumetric energy densities ∼5 times greater than prevalent hydrogen-based storage systems. This comprehensive review compiles and summarizes recent research developments in rechargeable seawater batteries. Moreover, we have also evaluated the potential of prospective deployment of seawater batteries for applications such as behind the meter energy storage systems for EV charging stations. Additionally, we have also evaluated the technical feasibility of these batteries compared to other prevalent long-duration energy storage systems as a potential storage solution for coastal economies. Overall, this review provides a detailed summary, feasibility study, and perspective on the promise of sodium-based rechargeable seawater batteries for BESS applications.

Recent developments and innovations in solar chimney power technologies: A focus on the last two decades

Green hydrogen production in a semi-arid region: A system dynamics analysis of water supply alternatives

Coordinated operation of wind farm and water desalination plant in energy and auxiliary services market

High-performance capacitive deionization in brackish water desalination via synergistic effect by Ni-1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylate modified Ti2CTx

Thermo-enviro-economic assessment of a double-slope double-stepped wick/sponge solar still integrated with ZnO nanofluid for water desalination

Integrating water and energy sustainability: A poly-generation system for desalination, zero liquid discharge, and green fuel

ABSTRACT The disposal of end-of-life (EoL) desalination and water reuse membranes, typically through landfilling or incineration, poses a growing environmental challenge. While direct reuse and recycling strategies have gained traction, this study investigates, for the first time, “uplifting” as an alternative approach through the regeneration of degraded polyamide (PA) by interfacial polymerization (IP), wherein a new selective layer is formed on chemically damaged or stripped EoL membrane. As expected, the filtration performance of the uplifted membranes did not fully match that of pristine counterparts. However, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and Zeta potential revealed substantial regeneration of key PA selective functionalities, indicating successful recovery of rejection capabilities. Uplifted membranes achieved permeability of 9.8 Lm−2 h−1 bar−1 with up to 45% monovalent salt rejection, demonstrating performance characteristics comparable to commercially available nanofiltration (NF) membranes. Additional morphological and surface analyses using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM), confirmed the formation of a functional PA layer, with evidence of a permeability-selectivity trade off. This work demonstrates the feasibility of uplifting approach for EoL membranes, establishing a viable pathway toward sustainable membrane reuse, extended service life, and reduction of polymer waste in water treatment and desalination industries.