Water Desalination Process Research Articles

Visible-light-activated Fe2O3–TiO2 nanoparticles enhance biofouling resistance of polyethersulfone ultrafiltration membranes against marine algae Chlorella vulgaris

This study investigated the modification of polyethersulfone (PES) ultrafiltration membranes with TiO2 and Fe2O3–TiO2 nanoparticles to enhance their hydrophilicity and biofouling resistance against the marine microalgae Chlorella vulgaris. It is a common freshwater and marine microalga that readily forms biofilms on membrane surfaces, leading to significant flux decline and increased operational costs in ultrafiltration processes. The microalgae cells and their extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) adhere to the membrane surface, creating a dense fouling layer that impedes water permeation. The modified membranes were characterized using contact angle measurements, scanning electron microscopy, and pure water flux/resistance tests. Short-term ultrafiltration experiments evaluated the membranes’ antifouling performance by measuring flux decline, flux recovery ratio, and relative flux reduction during C. vulgaris filtration. The TiO2 membrane showed improved hydrophilicity and antifouling over the pristine PES membrane, while the Fe2O3–TiO2 nanocomposite membrane exhibited the best performance. It reduced the water contact angle and showed only a 5% relative flux reduction compared to 60% for the pristine membrane. SEM images confirmed reduced microalgal deposition on the nanocomposite surface. Long-term tests with microalgal cells under dark and visible light conditions in saline water further assessed the membranes’ biofouling resistance. The Fe2O3–TiO2 membrane maintained 59 L/m2 h water flux under visible light after immersion in the microalgal solution, outperforming the pristine (38 L/m2 h) and TiO2 (52 L/m2 h) membranes. This superior antifouling was attributed to photocatalytic generation of reactive oxygen species inhibiting microalgal adhesion. This study demonstrates a promising strategy for mitigating biofouling in membrane-based water treatment and desalination processes.

Utilising Artificial Intelligence to Predict Membrane Behaviour in Water Purification and Desalination

Water scarcity is a critical global issue, necessitating efficient water purification and desalination methods. Membrane separation methods are environmentally friendly and consume less energy, making them more economical compared to other desalination and purification methods. This survey explores the application of artificial intelligence (AI) to predict membrane behaviour in water purification and desalination processes. Various AI platforms, including machine learning (ML) and artificial neural networks (ANNs), were utilised to model water flux, predict fouling behaviour, simulate micropollutant dynamics and optimise operational parameters. Specifically, models such as convolutional neural networks (CNNs), recurrent neural networks (RNNs) and support vector machines (SVMs) have demonstrated superior predictive capabilities in these applications. This review studies recent advancements, emphasising the superior predictive capabilities of AI models compared to traditional methods. Key findings include the development of AI models for various membrane separation techniques and the integration of AI concepts such as ML and ANNs to simulate membrane fouling, water flux and micropollutant behaviour, aiming to enhance wastewater treatment and optimise treatment and desalination processes. In conclusion, this review summarised the applications of AI in predicting the behaviour of membranes as well as their strengths, weaknesses and future directions of AI in membranes for water purification and desalination processes.

Synthesis of CuO/Fe3O4 Nanocomposite for enhanced solar thermal desalination

Nanoparticle (NPs) have attracted the attention of scientists and researchers in water remediation due to the improvement in its processability, and its cost effectiveness. The present work analyzed the synergistic effect of CuO (NPs) with different ratios (0, 0.5, 0.6, 0.7, 0.8, 0.9 and 1 wt %) on the structural, and optical properties of Fe3O4 (NPs), that can be used in water desalination process. The general methodology for preparation and structural properties of CuO (NPs), Fe3O4 (NPs) and CuO/Fe3O4 (NCs) were analyzed by (XRD) and (TEM) measurements. The morphological combination of (SEM) with (EDX), were used for determining the elemental identification of CuO/Fe3O4 (NCs). The characterization topography was found to be strongly affected by the change of the CuO concentration. Furthermore, the Urbach energy (EU), steepness parameter (σ), electron-phonon interaction (Ee-p), optical band gap (Eg), refractive index (n) and optical conductivity (σopt) were calculated. The optical absorption studies in the UV–Visible region, revealed that the CuO/Fe3O4 (NCs) was found to be direct allowed transition, and the energy bandgap value decreased from 2.52 eV to 2.15 eV based on the percentage change of CuO (NPs) in CuO/Fe3O4 (NCs). Moreover, the value of thermal conductivity (k), and thermal efficiency (η), showed an increase with the increase of the ratio of CuO (NPs), which may be an indication for opening an innovation way that can satisfy the need of seawater desalination technology.

Hierarchical Ti3C2Tx MXene@Honeycomb nanocomposite with high energy efficiency for solar water desalination

The utilization of solar-driven interfacial evaporation holds immense promise in enhancing energy efficiency and establishing sustainable methods for seawater desalination and water purification. While designing the materials to achieve high evaporation efficiency, the tuning of materials with porosity and surface chemistry is very crucial. Novel sustainable materials are of great importance for solar water desalination applications since clean water production is utmost important in the current era. There exists a lack of exploration in modifying the surface wettability states of solar evaporators to expedite the vapor generation rates. In this study, we showcase a hydrophilic Ti3C2Tx MXene-coated carbonized honeycomb (CHC) (Ti3C2Tx MXene@CHC) nanocomposite-based hexagonal-shaped evaporator surface. This is the first-time report on the effective utilization of hierarchical CHC for the preparation of solar absorber comprising of Ti3C2Tx MXene@CHC nanocomposite, particularly for the solar water desalination. The Ti3C2Tx MXene@CHC nanocomposite evaporator achieves an impressive water evaporation rate of 1.6 kg m−2 h−1 with 90% efficiency under 1 sun illumination. The augmented thickness of the water layer in the hydrophilic surface of the Ti3C2Tx MXene@CHC nanocomposite helps in facilitating the rapid escape of water molecules. The relatively elongated contact lines in the hydrophobic region simultaneously ensure substantial water evaporation, significantly enhancing the water desalination process. The Ti3C2Tx MXene@CHC nanocomposite exceeds stringent quality benchmarks, signaling its potential for solar water desalination.

Reverse Osmosis Concentrated Water Treatment Technology Research

With the national “double carbon” goal, energy saving and consumption reduction strategic plan to promote, more and more enterprises will be “zero discharge” of wastewater as the ultimate goal of industrial wastewater. Reverse osmosis (RO) process is the most common way of water treatment process, in the treatment of water treatment and pure water preparation at the same time, will be accompanied by a variety of inorganic and organic pollutants contained in the by-products of concentrated water, these difficult to deal with high salt, complex composition of the reverse osmosis concentration of water, not directly discharged without treatment, not only to make a lot of water in the concentration of water to be a waste of water resources, will be a large extent on the ocean, soil and other natural environments to cause irreversible damage. Reversible damage to the ocean, soil and other natural environments. Therefore, it is of great significance to protect the environment by finding an economical and efficient treatment method for RO concentrated water. For the regeneration of fresh water resources of RO concentrated water, there have been many international reports on the development of zero liquid discharge (ZLD) or near-zero liquid discharge technology, through the membrane technology to reverse osmosis concentrated water concentration, water recycling, reduce the volume of concentrated water, and then based on the thermal technology of concentrated water desalination, evaporation and crystallization process leads to the recovery of water, and at the same time, the process of solid by-products after dehydration, purification, can also produce a considerable amount of water. At the same time, the solid by-products produced in the process can be dehydrated and purified, which can also produce considerable economic value of commodities. Concentrated water concentration process around how to achieve low-cost RO concentrated water concentration process, in the disc tube reverse osmosis (DTRO), electrodialysis (ED), membrane distillation (MD) and forward osmosis (FO) and other new membrane concentration technology field carried out a wide range of research on the concentration of further concentrated water to provide more prospects for application. Solidification crystallization through reasonable crystallization control and solid-liquid separation technology, can achieve effective separation and purification of solutes, for various industries to provide solid products in line with the quality requirements, commonly used evaporation crystallization, cooling crystallization, solvent crystallization, ion exchange methods and other ways. Through the study of reverse osmosis concentrated water concentration treatment, crystallization and solidification of the two important links of the production process plan, summarize the practicality of various technologies and advantages and disadvantages, integration of existing technologies, research suitable for reverse osmosis concentrated water resources utilization of economic technology solutions, optimize the treatment process, and ultimately realize the application of engineering examples, is the direction of the efforts of researchers in recent years.

Triple strategies for process salt reduction in industrial wastewater treatment: The case of coking wastewater

Human activities introduce nutrient elements into wastewater, yet the saline byproducts from treatment are poorly managed. Selecting a low-salt process, without compromising treatment efficacy, is essential for reaching the zero-discharge goal in water treatment. Based on the engineering treatment process of coking wastewater, the source and reduction strategy of salts were studied. The results showed that 73.21 % of the residual salt originated from raw coal, 10.87 % from raw water, and 15.92 % from chemicals, respectively. Triple strategies for process salt reduction (PSR): load salt reduction, technology salt reduction and cyclic salt reduction can bring 0.411 mS/cm·m3, 0.217 mS/cm·m3 and −0.070 mS/cm·m3 salt reduction, and also bring 1.455 CNY/m3, 0.836 CNY/m3 and 0.360 CNY/m3 net present value, respectively. Meanwhile, PSR is also a low-carbon strategy, which will bring about carbon emission reduction of 1.6948 kg CO2-eq/m3, 0.4898 kg CO2-eq/m3 and 1.4082 kg CO2-eq/m3 respectively. The Resource/Carbon source Management-Oxic − Hydrolytic & Denitrification − Oxic (A-OHO) process, incorporating PSR, cuts costs by 27.83–31.66 % and carbon emissions by 18.68–19.54 % compared to conventional wastewater treatment methods. It can be predicted that the PSR in the standard treatment stage can provide a guarantee for the subsequent water reuse and desalination process to reduce project investment and operating costs, and at the same time benefit the macro environment from the aspects of carbon emission reduction and sludge reduction.

Ab Initio Simulation of Liquid Water without Artificial High Temperature.

Comprehending the structure and dynamics of water is crucial in various fields, such as water desalination, ion separation, electrocatalysis, and biochemical processes. While reported works show that the ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) can accurately portray water's structure, the artificial high temperature (AHT) from 120 to 30 K is needed to mimic the quantum nature of hydrogen-bond network from GGA, metaGGA to hybrid functionals. The AHT proves to be an inadequate approach for systems involving aqueous multiphase mixtures, such as water-solid interfaces and aqueous solutions. This is due to the activation of additional phonons in other phases, which can lead to an overestimation of the dynamics of nearby water molecules. In this work, we find that the regularized SCAN (rSCAN) functional effectively captures both the structure and dynamics of liquid water at ambient conditions without AHT. Moreover, rSCAN closely matches experimental results for the hydration structures of alkali, alkali earth, and halide ions. We anticipate that the versatile and accurate rSCAN functional will emerge as a key tool based on ab initio simulation for investigating chemical processes in aqueous environments.

Biofouling control of thermophilic bacteria in membrane distillation

Previously, fouling of MD membranes was perceived to be minimal due to the operational conditions preventing bacterial growth. However, recent studies presented fouling of MD membranes, largely due to various halophilic and thermophilic bacterial. The current study presented potential of antibacterial cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) capped silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) towards biofouling control in MD water desalination processes. Interestingly, the CNCs were used as capping and reducing agent in a microwave mediated synthesis of AgNPs. The green synthesis approach of AgNPs and its successful use in MD processes was reported for the first. The MD experiments were carried out using a series of modified PVDF membranes and feed solution spiked with a thermophilic G. stearothermophilus. Upon evaluation of fouled membranes, particularly PVDF, PVP-equipped PVDF, and f-CNTs-modified PVDF, the surface energy of interactions were −131 mJ/m2, −31.5 mJ/m2, −28.6 mJ/m2, suggesting favorable interaction between the membranes and bacterial foulant. The findings of this study were supported by fouling layer and bacterial growth as seen from scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy and Fourier transform infrared results. Upon membrane surface modification using CNCs-capped AgNPs, bacterial growth on membrane surface was reduced. Specifically, the positive cohesion energy between the CNCs-capped AgNPs-modified PVDF membrane and thermophilic bacterial foulant was + 63.2 mJ/m2, distinctly proving reduced fouling. The findings were supported by 5.5 % flux decay of the modified membrane compared to 79.3 % flux decay of virgin PVDF membrane. This suggested a long-term membrane integrity in thermophilic bacterial contaminated feed solutions during the MD water desalination.

Progress in the Sustainable Development of Biobased (Nano)materials for Application in Water Treatment Technologies.

Water pollution remains a widespread problem, affecting the health and wellbeing of people around the globe. While current advancements in wastewater treatment and desalination show promise, there are still challenges that need to be overcome to make these technologies commercially viable. Nanotechnology plays a pivotal role in water purification and desalination processes today. However, the release of nanoparticles (NPs) into the environment without proper safeguards can lead to both physical and chemical toxicity. Moreover, many methods of NP synthesis are expensive and not environmentally sustainable. The utilization of biomass as a source for the production of NPs has the potential to mitigate issues pertaining to cost, sustainability, and pollution. The utilization of biobased nanomaterials (bio-NMs) sourced from biomass has garnered attention in the field of water purification due to their cost-effectiveness, biocompatibility, and biodegradability. Several research studies have been conducted to efficiently produce NPs (both inorganic and organic) from biomass for applications in wastewater treatment. Biosynthesized materials such as zinc oxide NPs, phytogenic magnetic NPs, biopolymer-coated metal NPs, cellulose nanocrystals, and silver NPs, among others, have demonstrated efficacy in enhancing the process of water purification. The utilization of environmentally friendly NPs presents a viable option for enhancing the efficiency and sustainability of water pollution eradication. The present review delves into the topic of biomass, its origins, and the methods by which it can be transformed into NPs utilizing an environmentally sustainable approach. The present study will examine the utilization of greener NPs in contemporary wastewater and desalination technologies.

Composite carbon electrode with a coating of nanostructured, reduced graphene oxide for water electrodialysis

Abstract Electrodialysis (ED) and electrodeionization (EDI) are the new methods that are being used in water desalination processes. Reliable, electrochemically stable and efficient electrodes are the crucial components of the ED/EDI electrodialysers. The article proposes a new material for electrodes in electromembrane desalination systems. Graphene composite electrodes were created by bonding carbon fibres with epoxy resin and then coated with a layer of nanostructured, reduced graphene oxide. The graphene electrode material underwent electrochemical characterization by cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and potentiostatic polarization techniques. FTIR and Raman spectroscopy were used to determine the material’s chemical structure. The change in the surface morphology and elemental composition of the electrodes after fabrication and exploitation of the composite was studied by SEM and EDS. The electrodes were used successfully in multi-electrode electrodialysis devices, resulting in a desalination rate of over 90%. The electrodes were proven to be functional and durable. It was also confirmed that the oxidation/reduction phenomena on the electrode surfaces were fully reversible after changing their polarization, which was used cyclically to clean the electrodialyser. The parameters obtained indicate that this material can also be successfully used in other electrode processes. Graphical Abstract

Water desalination, and energy consumption applications of 2D nano materials: hexagonal boron nitride, graphenes, and quantum dots

Abstract In this article, we explore the role of nanotechnology in addressing water scarcity through water desalination. The scope of nanotechnology in water treatment is discussed, emphasizing the potential of 2D nanomaterials such as hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN), graphene, and quantum dots in revolutionizing desalination technologies. Various water desalination techniques, including membrane distillation (MD), solar-powered multi-stage flash distillation (MSF), and multi-effect distillation (MED), are analyzed in the context of nanomaterial applications. The review highlights the energy-intensive nature of conventional water treatment methods and underscores nanomaterials’ potential to enhance efficiency and sustainability in water desalination processes. Challenges facing desalination, such as scalability and environmental impact, are acknowledged, setting the stage for future research directions.

Crown-Ether Crystal Channel Membranes with Subnanometer Pores for Selective Na+ Transport.

Emulating biological sodium ion channels to achieve high selectivity and rapid Na+ transport is important for water desalination, energy conversion, and separation processes. However, the development of artificial ion channels, especially multichannels, to achieve high ion selectivity, remains a challenge. In this work, we demonstrate the fabrication of ion channel membranes utilizing crown-ether crystals (DA18C6-nitrate crystals), which feature extremely consistent subnanometer pores. The polyethylene terephthalate (PET) membranes were initially subjected to amination, followed by the in situ growth of DA18C6-nitrate crystals to establish ordered multichannels aimed at facilitating selective Na+ conductance. These channels allow rapid Na+ transport while inhibiting the migration of other ions (K+ and Ca2+). The Na+ transport rate was 2.15 mol m-2 h-1, resulting in the Na+/K+ and Na+/Ca2+ selectivity ratios of 6.53 and 12.56, respectively. Due to the immobilization of the crown-ether ring, when the size of the transmembrane ion exceeded that of the crown-ether ring's cavity, the ions had to undergo a dehydration process to pass through the channel. This resulted in the ions encountering a higher energy barrier upon entering the channel, making it more difficult for them to permeate. However, the size of Na+ was compatible with the cavity of the crown-ether ring and was able to displace the hydrated layer effectively, facilitating selective Na+ translocation. In summary, this research offers a promising approach for the future development of functionalized ion channels and efficient membrane materials tailored for high-performance Na+ separation.

Confined-Coordination Induced Intergrowth of Metal-Organic Frameworks into Precise Molecular Sieving Membranes.

Metal-organic framework (MOF) membranes with rich functionality and tunable pore system are promising for precise molecular separation; however, it remains a challenge to develop defect-free high-connectivity MOF membrane with high water stability owing to uncontrollable nucleation and growth rate during fabrication process. Herein, we report on a confined-coordination induced intergrowth strategy to fabricate lattice-defect-free Zr-MOF membrane towards precise molecular separation. The confined-coordination space properties (size and shape) and environment (water or DMF) were regulated to slow down the coordination reaction rate via controlling the counter-diffusion of MOF precursors (metal cluster and ligand), thereby inter-growing MOF crystals into integrated membrane. The resulting Zr-MOF membrane with angstrom-sized lattice apertures exhibits excellent separation performance both for gas separation and water desalination process. It was achieved H2 permeance of ~1200 GPU and H2/CO2 selectivity of ~67; water permeance of ~8 L ⋅ m-2 ⋅ h-1 ⋅ bar-1 and MgCl2 rejection of ~95 %, which are one to two orders of magnitude higher than those of state-of-the-art membranes. The molecular transport mechanism related to size-sieving effect and transition energy barrier differential of molecules and ions was revealed by density functional theory calculations. Our work provides a facile approach and fundamental insights towards developing precise molecular sieving membranes.

Confined‐Coordination Induced Intergrowth of Metal–Organic Frameworks into Precise Molecular Sieving Membranes

AbstractMetal–organic framework (MOF) membranes with rich functionality and tunable pore system are promising for precise molecular separation; however, it remains a challenge to develop defect‐free high‐connectivity MOF membrane with high water stability owing to uncontrollable nucleation and growth rate during fabrication process. Herein, we report on a confined‐coordination induced intergrowth strategy to fabricate lattice‐defect‐free Zr‐MOF membrane towards precise molecular separation. The confined‐coordination space properties (size and shape) and environment (water or DMF) were regulated to slow down the coordination reaction rate via controlling the counter‐diffusion of MOF precursors (metal cluster and ligand), thereby inter‐growing MOF crystals into integrated membrane. The resulting Zr‐MOF membrane with angstrom‐sized lattice apertures exhibits excellent separation performance both for gas separation and water desalination process. It was achieved H2 permeance of ~1200 GPU and H2/CO2 selectivity of ~67; water permeance of ~8 L ⋅ m−2 ⋅ h−1 ⋅ bar−1 and MgCl2 rejection of ~95 %, which are one to two orders of magnitude higher than those of state‐of‐the‐art membranes. The molecular transport mechanism related to size‐sieving effect and transition energy barrier differential of molecules and ions was revealed by density functional theory calculations. Our work provides a facile approach and fundamental insights towards developing precise molecular sieving membranes.

Water desalination system via ion immobilization on iron corrosion-based colloids and filtration by kevlar support

An efficient, scalable water desalination line has been introduced based on ion immobilization on the corrosion-based colloids (Diameter: from 10 nm to 20 µm) and filtration by a kevlar support. These particles are generated based on the galvanic cell behavior of some semi-galvanized wiring bundles inside a water medium according to the electrochemical cell schematic: Fe|Fe2+, OH-, H2|H2O with ΔG° of −73.0 KJ mol−1. To have an efficient desalination process, the contributions of different mechanisms such as mixed salt crystals, co-precipitation, and /or formation of various ionic charged species are present. These interactions resulted in the formation of micro/nano colloids (suspensions) with Fe2+ with other cations and anions, randomly, inside the bulk water medium. These particles are sandwiched among the arrays of the kevlar slices (5.0 × 5.0 cm) and play the role of the filter medium. In the introduced water desalination process, the population of the iron-based suspensions is controlled via a descending setting of the mass percentage of the semi-galvanic iron bundling wires along the water desalination line to control the number (population) of iron-based particles. This phenomenon consequently approves the condition for the efficient water desalination process at a laminar mass transfer condition with Reynolds number < 2000. The important factors of the removal efficiency are optimized using a multivariate optimization method based on a controllable waste purification efficiency threshold. This system possesses adequate advantages such as high water desalination efficiency, an acceptable water purification rate (3.0 L h−1, for only one water desalination line), low cost, enough simplicity, no residual water, and no need for any external driving source(s).

Synthesis and Promising Applications of Graphene and Related Materials

In recent years, there has been extensive research on graphene and its derivatives, driven by their remarkable physicochemical and functional properties. Various forms of graphene, such as multi-layer graphene, graphene oxide, and graphene quantum dots, have shown immense potential to revolutionize multiple technologies. This review critically examines the synthesis and applications of graphene and related materials. In the synthesis section, we explore methods ranging from top-down techniques, which involve breaking down larger structures into graphene layers, to bottom-up approaches, where graphene is built up from smaller constituents. In the application segment, we comprehensively discuss the diverse uses of graphene and its derivatives. This includes their roles in electronic applications, energy storage systems, tribological applications, healthcare technologies, water desalination processes, and mechanical applications. By exploring various applications, we aim to highlight the wide-spread applications of graphene-based materials and their composites in shaping the future of multiple technologies.

Insights on the chlorine resistance of polyester composite nanofiltration membranes

The use of chlorine as a pretreatment of water treatment and desalination processes causes a loss in performance and lifespan of the membranes usually employed in these processes. Polyester (PE) membranes have been proposed as an alternative due to the absence of amidic hydrogen; however, fabricating PE composite membranes with equivalent performance and high tolerance towards chlorine has proven challenging. In this work, we evaluate the effects of monomer concentration and blends, proton scavenger, surfactant concentration, reaction time and temperature on interfacial polymerization (IP) of trimesoyl chloride and resorcinol. Reaction temperature was the most crucial factor to achieve a PE coating film with high crosslinking degree (XD), high divalent rejection and excellent chlorine tolerance. The resorcinol membrane showed a Na2SO4 rejection of >90 % before and after 6000 ppmh-Cl2 at pH 7. XPS analysis showed that chlorination of PE membranes resulted in loss of CC bonds and increase in C–C and C–O bonds. At high crosslinking degrees, the changes caused by chlorine were minimal. Based on the characterization and the performance of the chlorinated membranes, ring chlorination followed by ring hydrolysis is the proposed mechanism for degradation of lower XD membranes.

Numerical analysis of vapor condensation process in a condensation dome of a patent-based solar-vacuum desalination plant

Water-desalination process using renewable energy sources have become more and more popular as they can produce drinking water without negative effect to the environment. The present study examines the condensation dome of a vacuum-based water desalination plant using transient 3D finite volume method. The whole system is under semi-vacuum condition (to reduce the boiling temperature of the saltwater) and the water vapor is condensed in the mentioned condensation dome. The objective of the current research is to evaluate the performance of the proposed condensation dome in a patent-based desalination plant under various novel possible geometric and operational conditions which have not been investigated before. First, four different scenarios of the fins are examined for a given time step. Then the best selected fin arrangement is simulated under a wide range of ambient air conditions in the same time step. Finally, the condensation process is simulated for the selected geometric and ambient conditions under various time steps between 1 and 60 s. The results revealed that, adding only external fins, and then considering both internal and external fins can boost the water condensation rate around 24 % and 62 % respectively compared to that for the base dome without any fin. Besides, when both internal and external fins are in the same direction, the condensation performance is 5 % higher than that for case 3 in which any internal fin is located between every pair of external fins. However, condensation rate is less sensitive for fin configuration when ambient air becomes warmer. Furthermore, higher level of ambient air heat transfer coefficient (higher wind speed) boosts the water condensation rate as well. The general outcome for the tested size of the dome is promising with around 2000 gr condensed water after 60s in the best selected conditions.

Modulation of ion transport through nanopores in water desalination: a molecular dynamics study

ABSTRACT A good understanding of ion transport mechanisms through nanopores is an important issue for the development of advanced water desalination technologies. We use the molecular dynamics simulation method to systematically investigate the translation dynamics of ions through nanopores in the water desalination process by designing four kinds of nano-membranes based on carbon nanomaterials. Results indicate that circular-shaped pore exhibits better water permeability, nevertheless, the slit pore has a lower resistance due to the larger pore area; nanochannel membranes increase the residence time of ions. Fluorination induces more ordered ionic hydration structures, and enhances Na + -Cl- ion pair association. -OH groups replace partial ionic hydration water molecules and facilitate ions transport into membranes. The -NH3 +, -COO- groups can strongly adsorb the oppositely charged ions, and substantially slow down ion dynamics. Functionalisation within nanochannel interior can further enhance interfacial friction and transport resistance, even causing pore blocking by charged groups. The fluorinated nanochannel membrane demonstrates complete rejection of ions with a water permeability coefficient of 1.88 × 104 L·m−2·h−1·bar−1, breaking the permeability-selectivity trade-off. This study indicates that ion transport in nanopores could be finely modulated to obtain enhanced performance in water desalination.

Water desalination using PSO-ANN techniques: A critical review

Water is a natural and essential resource for humans, animals, and plants to persist. However, only ⁓2.5 % of the freshwater resources are available, while the remaining ⁓97.5 % is saline water, which is unsuitable for humanity. According to the WHO, water scarcity will worsen by 2050. As a result, numerous researchers, scientists, and engineers are working in this field to improve water resources with advanced treatment technologies. Aside from the multiple water resources, desalination is critical in converting saline water to fresh water. In line with a recent update from the International Desalination Association (IDA, Reuse Handbook 2022–23), approximately ⁓22,757 desalination plants are operating worldwide, providing ⁓107.95 million cubic meters of freshwater per day (m3/day). Furthermore, in this digital age, artificial intelligence (AI) techniques, such as gray wolf optimization (GWO), sine cosine algorithm (SCA), artificial neural networks (ANN), multi-verse optimizer (MVO), fuzzy logic systems (FLS), moth flame optimizer (MFO), particle swarm optimization (PSO), artificial hummingbird algorithm (AHA) and genetic algorithms (GA), are playing a vital role and capable of deep analysis of real-time desalination plant for saving time, energy, human efforts, and money. This study focuses on the critical review and various aspects of current-age PSO-ANN techniques for desalination plants. In this regard, recent datasets of the Web of Science (WoS), provided by Clarivate Analytics, state that about >54,856 records (1965–2023) of desalination and around > 180 records (2008–2023) of PSO-ANN techniques are available globally. These records involve research articles, reviews, proceedings, letters, books, chapters, and editorial materials. Finally, this review article is specific and analyzes the various perspectives of PSO-ANN techniques in the water desalination process, promoting plant engineers and researchers to improve plant performance with minimum effort and time.