Enhanced Humidification–Dehumidification (HDH) Systems for Sustainable Water Desalination

Mauro Luberti and Mauro Capocelli ()
Additional contact information
Mauro Luberti: Department of Chemical Engineering, School of Engineering, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, UK
Mauro Capocelli: Research Unit of Process Engineering, Department of Science & Technology for Sustainable Development & One Health, University Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Via Alvaro del Portillo, 21, 00128 Rome, Italy

Energies, 2023, vol. 16, issue 17, 1-28

Abstract: Water scarcity is a pressing global issue driving the need for efficient and sustainable water reuse and desalination technologies. In the last two decades, humidification–dehumidification (HDH) has emerged as a promising method for small-scale and decentralized systems. This paper presents a comprehensive review of recent scientific literature highlighting key advancements, challenges, and potential future directions of HDH research. Because the HDH process suffers from low heat and mass transfer, as well as thermodynamic limitations due to the mild operating conditions, this work indicates three main strategies for HDH enhancement: (1) Advanced Heat and Mass Transfer Techniques, (2) Integration with Other Technologies, and (3) Optimization of System Operative Conditions. Particularly for advanced HDH systems, the reference GOR values exceed 3, and certain studies have demonstrated the potential to achieve even higher values, approaching 10. In terms of recovery ratio, there appear to be no significant process constraints, as recycling the brine prepared in innovative schemes can surpass values of 50%. Considering electricity costs, the reference range falls between 1 and 3 kWh m –3 . Notably, multi-stage processes and system couplings can lead to increased pressure drops and, consequently, higher electricity costs. Although consistent data are lacking, a baseline SEC reference value is approximately 360 kJ kg –1 , corresponding to 100 kWh m –3 . For comparable SEC data, it is advisable to incorporate both thermal and electric inputs, using a reference power plant efficiency of 0.4 in converting thermal duty to electrical power. When considering the utilization of low-temperature solar and waste heat, the proposed exergy-based comparison of the process is vital; this perspective reveals that a low-carbon HDH desalination domain, with II-law efficiencies surpassing 0.10, can be achieved.

Keywords: humidification–dehumidification; low-carbon desalination; variable pressure; vacuum; water adsorption; bubble column; solar energy; waste heat (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/16/17/6352/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/16/17/6352/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jeners:v:16:y:2023:i:17:p:6352-:d:1231433

Access Statistics for this article

Energies is currently edited by Ms. Agatha Cao

More articles in Energies from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().