Status of humidification dehumidification desalination technology

Using a carrier gas to desalinate seawater has many disadvantages. Existing carrier gas systems called humidification dehumidification (HDH) desalination systems suffer from low energy recovery and the presence of non-condensable gases in the dehumidifier which is reflected in low performance and high cost of water production (up to 22 €/m) for these systems. In this paper, we propose and review various potential solutions to these issues. It has been found that the solutions proposed by our team and other researchers have improved the energy efficiency rather drastically. It is concluded that some of the versions of the technology which can use low grade heat are applicable for use in decentralized and small scale desalination systems. It is also noted that it is not yet possible to clearly identify the niche for some of the new versions of the technology, that use higher grade of energy, in the absence of cost details.