Research on Seawater Desalination and Water Treatment Using Membrane Materials

Dear Colleagues,

Ensuring access to clean and sustainable water resources is a global challenge, driving the need for advanced technologies in seawater desalination and water treatment. Membrane-based processes have emerged as a key solution due to their energy efficiency, scalability, and effectiveness in removing contaminants. However, challenges regarding membrane fouling, material durability, energy consumption, and so on persist, requiring innovative approaches in material science, process optimization, and system design. 

This Special Issue will focus on cutting-edge research and advancements in membrane materials and their applications in desalination and water treatment. The topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following: 

• The development of novel membrane materials (e.g., nanocomposite, biomimetic, and graphene-based membranes) for enhanced selectivity and permeability; 
• Anti-fouling and anti-scaling strategies to improve membranes’ longevity and performance; 
• Hybrid membrane processes integrating forward and reverse osmosis and membrane distillation for improved efficiency; 
• The computational modelling and simulation of membrane processes to optimize their design and operational parameters; 
• Energy-efficient and sustainable desalination technologies, including renewable energy-driven systems; 
• The emerging applications of membrane technology in wastewater treatment, resource recovery, and decentralized water systems. 

This Special Issue aims to bring together researchers from material and environmental science and chemical engineering to address critical challenges in and advance the field of membrane-based water treatment. Contributions may include experimental studies, theoretical models, and technological innovations that pave the way for the development of high-performance membranes and sustainable, next-generation desalination and purification systems. Original research articles, reviews, and perspectives are all welcome.

Prof. Dr. Ying Xu
Dr. Lingling Zhong
Dr. Lei Shi
Guest Editors

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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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. Processes 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 2400 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.

• water treatment
• seawater desalination
• membrane materials
• anti-fouling
• renewable energy-driven systems