Work

Review on Thermal Vacuum Desalination: Technologies, Challenges and Sustainable Pathways

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Global water scarcity and the energy demand of conventional desalination motivate the development of thermal vacuum desalination (VD), which lowers the boiling temperature of saline water and can use low-grade heat from solar, waste-heat, ocean-thermal, and geothermal sources. This review traces the progression from passive natural-vacuum systems to forced-vacuum, ejector, spray-flash, falling-film, and membrane configurations. Reported headline values are case-specific. A reviewed multistage solar natural-vacuum configuration reported thermal efficiency up to 86%, and one experimental variable-geometry radial ejector reported an average entrainment-ratio improvement of 107% relative to its tested reference geometry. An experimental solar Venturi prototype produced 7.01–9.02 kg/(m2·d), depending on its operating cycle. Separately, a validated Aspen Plus simulation of a 14-effect MED-HV system reported a GOR of 13.49, while an experimental DCMD-crystallization study reported 98.9% water recovery for hypersaline produced water. Despite these promising results, the large-scale deployment of vacuum desalination technologies remains hindered by operational instabilities, intermittent thermal inputs, and membrane scaling. This review critically evaluates vacuum desalination technologies by distinguishing modeled, laboratory, pilot-scale, and review-derived evidence. It assesses energy consumption, techno-economic feasibility, and environmental performance on a case-specific basis. This review highlights major challenges in vacuum desalination (VD), such as vacuum stability, intermittent operation, scaling, irreversible membrane wetting, and long-term performance validation, and suggests research priorities for the future. Through this assessment of key findings, this review outlines a strategic approach to advancing thermal VD technologies toward sustainable, practical applications by integrating water treatment, energy efficiency, and mineral recovery through water–energy–mineral synergies.

Source: Eng—Advances in Engineering

DOI: 10.3390/eng7100568

Authors: Stanislaus Chinemerem Philip, Ali Alshehri, Ridha Ben Mansour, Ahmed S. Alsaman, Rached Ben-Mansour

Institution: King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals

Language: English

Topic: Membrane Separation Technologies

Subfield: Water Science and Technology

Field: Environmental Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Affordable and clean energy, Clean water and sanitation, Industry, innovation and infrastructure

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $1,448