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Membranes
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Membrane Distillation: Module Design and Application Performance
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Membrane Distillation: Module Design and Application Performance

A special issue of Membranes (ISSN 2077-0375). This special issue belongs to the section "Membrane Applications for Water Treatment".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 March 2026 | Viewed by 5880

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Lebea N. Nthunya

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute for Nanotechnology and Water Sustainability, College of Engineering, Science and Technology, University of South Africa, Florida Science Campus, Roodepoort 1709, South Africa
Interests: process modelling and automation; environmental analysis of metals; development and piloting of membrane crystallization for resource recovery from wastewater
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue will focus on the latest developments in membrane distillation and crystallization technologies, emphasizing innovative module designs, performance optimization, and practical applications in water treatment, desalination, and resource recovery. We invite researchers to contribute original research articles, reviews, and case studies that explore advancements in these areas, particularly their efficiency, sustainability, and scalability.

Topics of Interest:

  • Advanced configurations and materials for membrane distillation and crystallization modules.
  • Hybrid approaches combining membrane processes with other treatment technologies.
  • Strategies for improving membrane flux, selectivity, and stability.
  • Effect of operating conditions (temperature, pressure, feed composition) on performance.
  • Understanding the transport phenomena in membrane distillation and crystallization systems.
  • Case studies highlighting the application of membrane distillation in desalination processes.
  • Performance evaluations of membrane crystallization for water treatment and wastewater recovery.
  • Innovations in utilizing membrane technologies for resource recovery from brines and wastewater (e.g., recovery of valuable minerals, nutrients).

Circular economy approaches integrating membrane processes for sustainable water management

Dr. Lebea N. Nthunya
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Membranes is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • membrane distillation crystallization
  • resource recovery
  • circular economy
  • zero liquid discharge
  • desalination
  • wastewater treatment

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 3661 KB  
Article
Effects of Metal Foam Insertion on the Performance of a Vacuum Membrane Distillation Unit
by Nizar Loussif and Jamel Orfi
Membranes 2025, 15(12), 379; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes15120379 - 13 Dec 2025
Viewed by 182
Abstract
The present study investigates the use of aluminum foam to enhance pure water production using a Vacuum Membrane Distillation (VMD) desalination unit. Numerical simulations were conducted for a conventional VMD and three VMD configurations with different metal foam thickness-to-channel-width ratios of h/b = [...] Read more.
The present study investigates the use of aluminum foam to enhance pure water production using a Vacuum Membrane Distillation (VMD) desalination unit. Numerical simulations were conducted for a conventional VMD and three VMD configurations with different metal foam thickness-to-channel-width ratios of h/b = (0.5, 0.75, 1). The effects of operational parameters on different VMD setups were presented and discussed. Additionally, the effects of flow rates on temperature polarization, average Nusselt number, and pressure drop were presented and discussed. The performance evaluation criterion (PEC), an indicator of the system’s global performance encompassing the heat transfer enhancement and the related pressure loss, has also been used and analyzed. Outcomes demonstrate improvements in water production with the increase in inlet velocity and temperature, while applied vacuum pressure and inlet concentration increments showed opposite behavior for all studied VMD setups. Permeate flux and temperature polarization were enhanced with metal foam insertion, and the case h = b presents the highest permeate flux and pressure drop. PEC demonstrates values superior to unity for all studied cases, with higher values for lower flow rates. Fully filled metal foam insertion is recommended for lower flow rates, while partially filled metal foam (h = 0.5b) is suggested for higher ones. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Membrane Distillation: Module Design and Application Performance)
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23 pages, 5008 KB  
Article
Analysis of Fouling in Hollow Fiber Membrane Distillation Modules for Desalination Brine Reduction
by Hyeongrak Cho, Seoyeon Lee, Yongjun Choi, Sangho Lee and Seung-Hyun Kim
Membranes 2025, 15(12), 371; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes15120371 - 2 Dec 2025
Viewed by 409
Abstract
Membrane distillation (MD) is a promising technology for reducing the volume of high-salinity brines generated from desalination plants, yet limited knowledge exists regarding its fouling behavior under long-term operation. In this study, fouling was investigated through the autopsy of a hollow fiber MD [...] Read more.
Membrane distillation (MD) is a promising technology for reducing the volume of high-salinity brines generated from desalination plants, yet limited knowledge exists regarding its fouling behavior under long-term operation. In this study, fouling was investigated through the autopsy of a hollow fiber MD module operated for 120 days in a direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) configuration using real desalination brine. Despite stable salt rejection exceeding 99%, a gradual decline in flux and permeability was observed, indicating progressive fouling and partial wetting. Post-operation analyses, including SEM, EDS, ICP-OES, and FT-IR, revealed that the dominant foulants were inorganic scales, particularly calcium carbonate (CaCO3), with minor contributions from suspended particles (SiO2, Fe) and organic matter. Fouling was more severe in the inlet and inner regions of the module due to intensified temperature and concentration polarization, which promoted supersaturation and scale deposition. These combined effects led to a reduction in membrane hydrophobicity and liquid entry pressure, ultimately accelerating partial wetting and performance deterioration. The findings provide valuable insights into the spatial fouling behavior and mechanisms in MD systems, highlighting the importance of hydrodynamic optimization and fouling mitigation strategies for long-term brine concentration applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Membrane Distillation: Module Design and Application Performance)
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16 pages, 1273 KB  
Article
Optimizing Ammonia Separation from Thermophilic Digestate: The Combined Effect of pH and Thermal Gradients in Direct Contact Membrane Distillation
by Fanny Rivera, Luis Villarreal, Pedro Prádanos, Raúl Muñoz, Laura Palacio and Antonio Hernández
Membranes 2025, 15(12), 348; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes15120348 - 22 Nov 2025
Viewed by 482
Abstract
Ammonia recovery from synthetic thermophilic anaerobic digestate was achieved through Direct Contact Membrane Distillation (DCMD) using hydrophobic flat-sheet membranes under different operating conditions. The influence of temperature gradients (0 °C, 20 °C, 35 °C, and 45 °C) and pH levels of the thermophilic [...] Read more.
Ammonia recovery from synthetic thermophilic anaerobic digestate was achieved through Direct Contact Membrane Distillation (DCMD) using hydrophobic flat-sheet membranes under different operating conditions. The influence of temperature gradients (0 °C, 20 °C, 35 °C, and 45 °C) and pH levels of the thermophilic anaerobic sludge (7.8, 8.2, 9, and 12) was investigated. The process utilized a DCMD setup with hydrophobic PTFE membranes of 0.22 µm nominal pore radius, and receiving solutions consisting of deionized water and 1 M H2SO4. The best results were obtained with isothermal distillation and high pH levels in the feed. Isothermal distillation at 65 °C (a temperature gradient of 0 °C), with 1 M H2SO4 as the receiving solution, and at pH levels 8.2 and 12, yielded NH3 recoveries of 36.4 ± 1.6% and 100.0 ± 0.1%, respectively. Under the same conditions, the molar fluxes were 0.63 ± 0.01 mol TAN m−2 h−1 and 1.84 ± 0.01 mol TAN m−2 h−1, respectively. It is worth noting that some very low depositions on the membrane were detected, leading to changes in the surface morphology, as confirmed by atomic force microscopy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Membrane Distillation: Module Design and Application Performance)
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17 pages, 1802 KB  
Article
Zero Liquid Discharge of High-Salinity Produced Water via Integrated Membrane Distillation and Crystallization: Experimental Study and Techno-Economic Analysis
by Gabriela Torres Fernandez, Zongjie He, Jeremiah Kessie and Jianjia Yu
Membranes 2025, 15(9), 281; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes15090281 - 19 Sep 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1772
Abstract
Direct Contact Membrane Distillation–Crystallization (DCMD-Cr) is a synergistic technology for zero liquid discharge (ZLD) and resource recovery from high-salinity brines. In this study, DCMD-Cr was integrated to desalinate real oilfield-produced water (PW) with an initial salinity of 156,700 mg/L. The PW was concentrated [...] Read more.
Direct Contact Membrane Distillation–Crystallization (DCMD-Cr) is a synergistic technology for zero liquid discharge (ZLD) and resource recovery from high-salinity brines. In this study, DCMD-Cr was integrated to desalinate real oilfield-produced water (PW) with an initial salinity of 156,700 mg/L. The PW was concentrated to its saturation point of 28 wt.% via DCMD, and the integrated crystallization increased the overall water recovery from 42.0% to 98.9%, with a decline in water flux and salt rejection, mainly due to vapor pressure lowering and scaling. The precipitated salts in the crystallization unit were recovered and identified using different techniques. The results indicated that 91% of the crystals are sodium chloride, and less than 5% are calcium sulfate. A techno-economic analysis (TEA) was performed to evaluate the economic feasibility of the integrated DCMD-Cr process with a 500,000 gallons per day (GDP) capacity. The results showed that the crystallization operating cost was dominant at USD 0.50 per barrel, while the capital cost was only USD 0.04 per barrel. The economic viability can be enhanced by recovering value-added byproducts and using renewable or waste heat, which can reduce the total cost to USD 0.50 per barrel. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Membrane Distillation: Module Design and Application Performance)
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22 pages, 5293 KB  
Article
Membrane Distillation for Water Desalination: Assessing the Influence of Operating Conditions on the Performance of Serial and Parallel Connection Configurations
by Lebea N. Nthunya and Bhekie B. Mamba
Membranes 2025, 15(8), 235; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes15080235 - 4 Aug 2025
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2444
Abstract
Though the pursuit of sustainable desalination processes with high water recovery has intensified the research interest in membrane distillation (MD), the influence of module connection configuration on performance stability remains poorly explored. The current study provided a comprehensive multiparameter assessment of hollow fibre [...] Read more.
Though the pursuit of sustainable desalination processes with high water recovery has intensified the research interest in membrane distillation (MD), the influence of module connection configuration on performance stability remains poorly explored. The current study provided a comprehensive multiparameter assessment of hollow fibre membrane modules connected in parallel and series in direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) for the first time. The configurations were evaluated under varying process parameters such as temperature (50–70 °C), flow rates (22.1–32.3 mL·s−1), magnesium concentration as scalant (1.0–4.0 g·L−1), and flow direction (co-current and counter-current), assessing their influence on temperature gradients (∆T), flux and pH stability, salt rejection, and crystallisation. Interestingly, the parallel module configuration maintained high operational stability with uniform flux and temperature differences (∆T) even at high recovery factors (>75%). On one hand, the serial configuration experienced fluctuating ∆T caused by thermal and concentration polarisation, causing an early crystallisation (abrupt drop in feed conductivity). Intensified polarisation effects with accelerated crystallisation increased the membrane risk of wetting, particularly at high recovery factors. Despite these changes, the salt rejection remained relatively high (99.9%) for both configurations across all tested conditions. The findings revealed that acidification trends caused by MgSO4 were configuration-dependent, where the parallel setup-controlled rate of pH collapse. This study presented a novel framework connecting membrane module architecture to mass and heat transfer phenomena, providing a transformative DCMD module configuration design in water desalination. These findings not only provide the critical knowledge gaps in DCMD module configurations but also inform optimisation of MD water desalination to achieve high recovery and stable operation conditions under realistic brine composition. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Membrane Distillation: Module Design and Application Performance)
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