Abstract

This article addresses water availability and use with special emphasis on the role and current level of technology of water desalination. The major desalination processes, using membranes or distillation, are described. These are multistage flash evaporation (MSF), multi-effect distillation (ME), vapor compression distillation (VC), freeze–desalination, reverse osmosis (RO), and electrodialysis (ED). Within the membrane processes category important features of major applications: nanofiltration, brackish RO, wastewater reclamation and seawater desalination are discussed. Description of desalination hybrid systems and key references are provided. The use of renewable energy for water desalination by solar stills, ocean–thermal energy conversion plants, wind, and photovoltaic cells is presented. Two of the key technical problems in desalination, scale deposition and prevention, and corrosion and the proper choice of materials to be used for construction of desalination system, are discussed. Basic equations are provided for the evaluation and preliminary design of MSF and RO, which are currently the leading water desalination processes. The leading professional and governmental organizations involved with desalination, and their activities, are described.