Solar desalination with a humidification-dehumidification technique-a comprehensive technical review

摘要

Major desalination processes consume a large amount of energy derived from oil and natural gas as heat and electricity.Solar desalination,although researched for over two decades,has only recently emerged as a promising renewable energy-powered technology for producing fresh water.Solar desalination based on the humidification-dehumidification cycle presents the best method of solar desalination due to overall high-energy efficiency.This paper provides a comprehensive technical review of solar desalination with a multi-effect cycle providing a better under-standing of the process.Discussion on methods to improve system performance and efficiency paves the way towards possible commercialisation of such units in the future.