Pub Date : 2025-12-31DOI: 10.1016/j.desal.2025.119831
Meijun Liu , Kaiyue Chang , Yuang Yao , Jie Huang , Huiling Liu , Xiaozhou Wu , Zheng Li , Chengbin Liu , Haifeng Zhang
Membrane Capacitive Deionization (MCDI) is a promising electrochemical technique for water desalination. The optimization of power mode and parameters in existing industrial applications relies on costly and time-consuming experimentation to achieve high-performance MCDI. In addition, the mechanism of interaction between parameters and performance has rarely been clarified. To fill this gap, machine learning (ML) models were employed to predict the performance of MCDI under different operational conditions. The influence of control mode and parameters on performance was revealed through feature analysis. Notably, the trade-off between desalination rate and energy recovery in MCDI was identified, which has seldom been mentioned in previous study. The optimum conditions that break through the existing trade-off relationship were predicted using Bayesian optimization. Furthermore, experimental verification confirmed that the identified combination of operational parameters exceeded the upper limit of the existing dataset. This study provides new mechanistic insights into the effects of charging/discharging modes and operational parameters on performance. This generalized approach could help guide the design of electrochemical systems, exemplified by high performance MCDI.
{"title":"Machine learning models guided optimal control toward membrane capacitive deionization system with exceptional energy recovery rate and desalination rate","authors":"Meijun Liu , Kaiyue Chang , Yuang Yao , Jie Huang , Huiling Liu , Xiaozhou Wu , Zheng Li , Chengbin Liu , Haifeng Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.desal.2025.119831","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.desal.2025.119831","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Membrane Capacitive Deionization (MCDI) is a promising electrochemical technique for water desalination. The optimization of power mode and parameters in existing industrial applications relies on costly and time-consuming experimentation to achieve high-performance MCDI. In addition, the mechanism of interaction between parameters and performance has rarely been clarified. To fill this gap, machine learning (ML) models were employed to predict the performance of MCDI under different operational conditions. The influence of control mode and parameters on performance was revealed through feature analysis. Notably, the trade-off between desalination rate and energy recovery in MCDI was identified, which has seldom been mentioned in previous study. The optimum conditions that break through the existing trade-off relationship were predicted using Bayesian optimization. Furthermore, experimental verification confirmed that the identified combination of operational parameters exceeded the upper limit of the existing dataset. This study provides new mechanistic insights into the effects of charging/discharging modes and operational parameters on performance. This generalized approach could help guide the design of electrochemical systems, exemplified by high performance MCDI.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":299,"journal":{"name":"Desalination","volume":"623 ","pages":"Article 119831"},"PeriodicalIF":9.8,"publicationDate":"2025-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145940002","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-31DOI: 10.1016/j.desal.2025.119830
Xiaohan He , Weiwen Xin , Pengbo Song , Shicheng Wan , Chaowen Yang , Hongming Chen , Yongbo Deng , Liuyong Shi , Liping Wen , Teng Zhou
Osmotic energy conversion harnesses salinity gradients between seawater and freshwater to generate renewable electricity. Vertically aligned nanochannel membranes show promise for this application owing to their exceptional ion transport characteristics, yet the intricate interplay between channel geometry and energy conversion efficiency remains poorly understood, impeding rational membrane design. Here we present a computational framework that combines finite element simulations, machine learning and multi-objective optimization to elucidate how nanochannel length, diameter, pore density and surface charge govern osmotic energy conversion. We systematically sampled the design space to generate a comprehensive dataset and trained a multilayer perceptron model that achieves prediction accuracy exceeding 95 % while accelerating computations by three orders of magnitude compared with the finite element method (FEM). Shapley additive explanations quantified the relative contributions of each parameter. The analysis revealed synergistic effects, including a critical pore density threshold of 2.5 × 107 pores/cm2. Above this threshold, nanochannel interactions degrade performance. Multi-objective genetic algorithms identified 100 Pareto-optimal solutions that define the parameter ranges for maximizing power output and conversion efficiency. Notably, channel length affects power and efficiency in opposing ways, indicating that design priorities must be carefully balanced. This study provides theoretical guidance for the precise design of vertically aligned nanochannel membranes and highlights the potential of artificial-intelligence-driven materials design in advancing clean energy technologies.
{"title":"Data-driven prediction and optimization of osmotic energy conversion performance in multi-nanochannel systems","authors":"Xiaohan He , Weiwen Xin , Pengbo Song , Shicheng Wan , Chaowen Yang , Hongming Chen , Yongbo Deng , Liuyong Shi , Liping Wen , Teng Zhou","doi":"10.1016/j.desal.2025.119830","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.desal.2025.119830","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Osmotic energy conversion harnesses salinity gradients between seawater and freshwater to generate renewable electricity. Vertically aligned nanochannel membranes show promise for this application owing to their exceptional ion transport characteristics, yet the intricate interplay between channel geometry and energy conversion efficiency remains poorly understood, impeding rational membrane design. Here we present a computational framework that combines finite element simulations, machine learning and multi-objective optimization to elucidate how nanochannel length, diameter, pore density and surface charge govern osmotic energy conversion. We systematically sampled the design space to generate a comprehensive dataset and trained a multilayer perceptron model that achieves prediction accuracy exceeding 95 % while accelerating computations by three orders of magnitude compared with the finite element method (FEM). Shapley additive explanations quantified the relative contributions of each parameter. The analysis revealed synergistic effects, including a critical pore density threshold of 2.5 × 10<sup>7</sup> pores/cm<sup>2</sup>. Above this threshold, nanochannel interactions degrade performance. Multi-objective genetic algorithms identified 100 Pareto-optimal solutions that define the parameter ranges for maximizing power output and conversion efficiency. Notably, channel length affects power and efficiency in opposing ways, indicating that design priorities must be carefully balanced. This study provides theoretical guidance for the precise design of vertically aligned nanochannel membranes and highlights the potential of artificial-intelligence-driven materials design in advancing clean energy technologies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":299,"journal":{"name":"Desalination","volume":"623 ","pages":"Article 119830"},"PeriodicalIF":9.8,"publicationDate":"2025-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145883073","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-31DOI: 10.1016/j.desal.2025.119818
Tong Wu , Lin Li , Runkai Wang , Weiping Wu , Fenghua Liu
Solar-driven interfacial evaporation holds great promise for sustainable seawater desalination. However, conventional carbon-based photothermal materials still face challenges, including limited spectral management and inefficient energy utilization. To address this, we propose a topological engineering strategy that synergistically enhances solar-to-thermal conversion and enables concurrent power generation through thermoelectric coupling. Our approach involves constructing MoS2-decorated hollow carbon heterostructures with precisely engineered architectures that integrate morphologically optimized nanocarbons (nanospheres and nanobowls) with vertically aligned MoS2 nanosheets. This hierarchical design creates an efficient light-trapping network enabling ultra-broadband absorption (>97 %) and exceptional thermal confinement through multidimensional photon management and interfacial phonon scattering. The composite film achieves evaporation rates of 3.38 kg·m−2·h−1 under 1 sun irradiation with a 0.5 m·s−1 wind assistance. When coupled with a commercial thermoelectric generator, the system delivers an open-circuit voltage of 121 mV and a maximum power output of 0.187 mW. Outdoor tests confirm excellent salt rejection and stable evaporation performance in real marine environments. This work provides new insights into multifunctional solar energy systems through rational structural design and interfacial engineering, highlighting the critical role of thermal management in solar energy conversion systems.
{"title":"Synergistic water-electricity cogeneration enabled by topology engineering hierarchical MoS2 decorated hollow carbon heterostructures for enhanced solar energy utilization","authors":"Tong Wu , Lin Li , Runkai Wang , Weiping Wu , Fenghua Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.desal.2025.119818","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.desal.2025.119818","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Solar-driven interfacial evaporation holds great promise for sustainable seawater desalination. However, conventional carbon-based photothermal materials still face challenges, including limited spectral management and inefficient energy utilization. To address this, we propose a topological engineering strategy that synergistically enhances solar-to-thermal conversion and enables concurrent power generation through thermoelectric coupling. Our approach involves constructing MoS<sub>2</sub>-decorated hollow carbon heterostructures with precisely engineered architectures that integrate morphologically optimized nanocarbons (nanospheres and nanobowls) with vertically aligned MoS<sub>2</sub> nanosheets. This hierarchical design creates an efficient light-trapping network enabling ultra-broadband absorption (>97 %) and exceptional thermal confinement through multidimensional photon management and interfacial phonon scattering. The composite film achieves evaporation rates of 3.38 kg·m<sup>−2</sup>·h<sup>−1</sup> under 1 sun irradiation with a 0.5 m·s<sup>−1</sup> wind assistance. When coupled with a commercial thermoelectric generator, the system delivers an open-circuit voltage of 121 mV and a maximum power output of 0.187 mW. Outdoor tests confirm excellent salt rejection and stable evaporation performance in real marine environments. This work provides new insights into multifunctional solar energy systems through rational structural design and interfacial engineering, highlighting the critical role of thermal management in solar energy conversion systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":299,"journal":{"name":"Desalination","volume":"623 ","pages":"Article 119818"},"PeriodicalIF":9.8,"publicationDate":"2025-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145939991","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
To decipher the microscale hydrodynamic conditions around hollow fiber vibrating membrane and its fouling implications, the surrounding flow field and the resulting yield stress τ0 on foulant were characterized by combining computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modelling and large amplitude oscillatory shear (LAOS) measurement, respectively. The characterization was investigated under transverse flow velocities ranging from 0.15 m·s−1 to 0.5 m·s−1 and MLSS up to 15,000 mg·L−1. The CFD results identified a periodic turbulence pattern, the Kármán vortex induced microscale fiber vibration, and periodically elevated the shear forces. LAOS results of a full-scale livestock MBR foulant revealed that a higher vibration frequency (0.75 to 3.04 Hz) fluffed foulant and reduced foulant's yield stress τ0 by 41.47 % (85.94 to 50.39 Pa), marking the foulant shedding easier. The measured yield stress τ0 of the foulant directly provided an accurate foulant shedding hydraulic condition, where 2.5 Hz could resuspension 99 % foulant. The vibration loosened foulant could trigger an accelerated foulant shedding through microscale turbulence, namely Kelvin-Helmholtz instability at the microscopic interface. The formation condition is quantified by the Richardson number Ri<0.21. These boundary layer insights deepened the hydraulic understanding of the microscale interface between mixed liquid and foulant, which will facilitate energy-efficient fouling mitigation.
{"title":"Decipher fouling's microscale hydrodynamic conditions around hollow fiber vibrating membrane","authors":"Lingping Zhang , Dawei Yu , Shujuan Che , Yuansong Wei","doi":"10.1016/j.desal.2025.119819","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.desal.2025.119819","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>To decipher the microscale hydrodynamic conditions around hollow fiber vibrating membrane and its fouling implications, the surrounding flow field and the resulting yield stress <em>τ</em><sub><em>0</em></sub> on foulant were characterized by combining computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modelling and large amplitude oscillatory shear (LAOS) measurement, respectively. The characterization was investigated under transverse flow velocities ranging from 0.15 m·s<sup>−1</sup> to 0.5 m·s<sup>−1</sup> and MLSS up to 15,000 mg·L<sup>−1</sup>. The CFD results identified a periodic turbulence pattern, the <em>Kármán</em> vortex induced microscale fiber vibration, and periodically elevated the shear forces. LAOS results of a full-scale livestock MBR foulant revealed that a higher vibration frequency (0.75 to 3.04 Hz) fluffed foulant and reduced foulant's yield stress <em>τ</em><sub><em>0</em></sub> by 41.47 % (85.94 to 50.39 Pa), marking the foulant shedding easier. The measured yield stress <em>τ</em><sub><em>0</em></sub> of the foulant directly provided an accurate foulant shedding hydraulic condition, where 2.5 Hz could resuspension 99 % foulant. The vibration loosened foulant could trigger an accelerated foulant shedding through microscale turbulence, namely <em>Kelvin-Helmholtz</em> instability at the microscopic interface. The formation condition is quantified by the <em>Richardson</em> number <em>R</em><sub><em>i</em></sub> <em><</em> <em>0.21</em>. These boundary layer insights deepened the hydraulic understanding of the microscale interface between mixed liquid and foulant, which will facilitate energy-efficient fouling mitigation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":299,"journal":{"name":"Desalination","volume":"623 ","pages":"Article 119819"},"PeriodicalIF":9.8,"publicationDate":"2025-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145939971","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-31DOI: 10.1016/j.desal.2025.119816
Niaz Ali Khan , Umar H. Nuhu , Ahmad Hussaini Jagaba , Dahiru U. Lawal , Nadeem Baig , Ismail Abdulazeez , Billel Salhi , Yasir Abbas , Umer Zahid , Isam H. Aljundi
Graphene oxide (GO)-based organic framework composites, particularly those integrating metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and covalent organic frameworks (COFs), have emerged as a promising class of materials for membrane-based water treatment. These hybrid systems rationally combine the structural tunability and high porosity of MOFs/COFs with the mechanical strength, large surface area, and functional versatility of GO, enabling improved separation performance compared to individual components. This review provides a comprehensive examination of GO/MOF and GO/COF composite membranes, emphasizing recent advances in their rational design, synthesis strategies (in-situ vs. ex-situ assembly), and structure-property relationships relevant to desalination, dye removal, heavy-metal capture, and wastewater purification. Particular attention is given to overcoming critical limitations such as GO swelling, restricted water permeance, and framework brittleness and how hybridization enhances pore structure, interfacial compatibility, wettability, and long-term operational stability. The environmental applications of these composites are critically discussed, focusing on the efficient removal of dyes, heavy metals, salts, pharmaceuticals, and oils from aqueous streams. Finally, the review outlines current challenges, such as fabrication scalability, interfacial engineering, and antifouling durability, and presents future research directions toward practical and sustainable deployment of GO-based organic framework membranes for sustainable water treatment.
{"title":"Graphene oxide-based organic framework composites for membrane separation: Advances in design, properties, and environmental applications","authors":"Niaz Ali Khan , Umar H. Nuhu , Ahmad Hussaini Jagaba , Dahiru U. Lawal , Nadeem Baig , Ismail Abdulazeez , Billel Salhi , Yasir Abbas , Umer Zahid , Isam H. Aljundi","doi":"10.1016/j.desal.2025.119816","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.desal.2025.119816","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Graphene oxide (GO)-based organic framework composites, particularly those integrating metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and covalent organic frameworks (COFs), have emerged as a promising class of materials for membrane-based water treatment. These hybrid systems rationally combine the structural tunability and high porosity of MOFs/COFs with the mechanical strength, large surface area, and functional versatility of GO, enabling improved separation performance compared to individual components. This review provides a comprehensive examination of GO/MOF and GO/COF composite membranes, emphasizing recent advances in their rational design, synthesis strategies (<em>in-situ vs. ex-situ</em> assembly), and structure-property relationships relevant to desalination, dye removal, heavy-metal capture, and wastewater purification. Particular attention is given to overcoming critical limitations such as GO swelling, restricted water permeance, and framework brittleness and how hybridization enhances pore structure, interfacial compatibility, wettability, and long-term operational stability. The environmental applications of these composites are critically discussed, focusing on the efficient removal of dyes, heavy metals, salts, pharmaceuticals, and oils from aqueous streams. Finally, the review outlines current challenges, such as fabrication scalability, interfacial engineering, and antifouling durability, and presents future research directions toward practical and sustainable deployment of GO-based organic framework membranes for sustainable water treatment.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":299,"journal":{"name":"Desalination","volume":"623 ","pages":"Article 119816"},"PeriodicalIF":9.8,"publicationDate":"2025-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145940000","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-30DOI: 10.1016/j.desal.2025.119825
Ruixue Meng , Yuan Li , Jiawei Peng , Huanhuan Guo , Yanhui Li , Long Chen
Obtaining low-salinity water from seawater via nanofiltration technology has emerged as a crucial solution to solve the freshwater scarcity. Graphene nanofiltration membrane exhibits revolutionary potential but faces serious challenges, primarily insufficient structural stability and poor rejection for small salt ions. Herein, reduced graphene oxide (rGO)/Dye composite membranes with positively charged surfaces by intercalating π-conjugated cationic dye molecules into rGO membranes through π-π interaction and electrostatic interactions were successfully fabricated. The introduction of dye molecules not only regulates the interlayer spacing but also achieves electrostatic-induced ion-confined partitioning, effectively inhibiting the co-transport of cation-anion pairs to enhance the salt rejection performances. The optimized membrane demonstrated remarkable rejection of 85.3 % for NaCl and 91.4 % for Na2SO4 with high permeance due to the interlayer spacing modulation and ion-confined partitioning in nanochannels. Notably, those membranes exhibited exceptional chemical and mechanical stability during long-term nanofiltration operation involving high-salinity solution, mixed feed solution, and actual seawater. Transmembrane mass transfer experiments further confirmed that rGO/Dye composite membranes effectively suppress cation-anion pair co-transport, thereby increasing mass transfer resistance for salt ions. This study presents a novel strategy for designing high-performance desalination nanofiltration membranes through the synergistic regulation of nanochannels and surface charge characteristics.
{"title":"Conjugated cationic dye modulates the ion-confined partitioning of anions/cations in graphene membrane to enhance seawater desalination","authors":"Ruixue Meng , Yuan Li , Jiawei Peng , Huanhuan Guo , Yanhui Li , Long Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.desal.2025.119825","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.desal.2025.119825","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Obtaining low-salinity water from seawater via nanofiltration technology has emerged as a crucial solution to solve the freshwater scarcity. Graphene nanofiltration membrane exhibits revolutionary potential but faces serious challenges, primarily insufficient structural stability and poor rejection for small salt ions. Herein, reduced graphene oxide (rGO)/Dye composite membranes with positively charged surfaces by intercalating π-conjugated cationic dye molecules into rGO membranes through π-π interaction and electrostatic interactions were successfully fabricated. The introduction of dye molecules not only regulates the interlayer spacing but also achieves electrostatic-induced ion-confined partitioning, effectively inhibiting the co-transport of cation-anion pairs to enhance the salt rejection performances. The optimized membrane demonstrated remarkable rejection of 85.3 % for NaCl and 91.4 % for Na<sub>2</sub>SO<sub>4</sub> with high permeance due to the interlayer spacing modulation and ion-confined partitioning in nanochannels. Notably, those membranes exhibited exceptional chemical and mechanical stability during long-term nanofiltration operation involving high-salinity solution, mixed feed solution, and actual seawater. Transmembrane mass transfer experiments further confirmed that rGO/Dye composite membranes effectively suppress cation-anion pair co-transport, thereby increasing mass transfer resistance for salt ions. This study presents a novel strategy for designing high-performance desalination nanofiltration membranes through the synergistic regulation of nanochannels and surface charge characteristics.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":299,"journal":{"name":"Desalination","volume":"623 ","pages":"Article 119825"},"PeriodicalIF":9.8,"publicationDate":"2025-12-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145882996","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-30DOI: 10.1016/j.desal.2025.119828
Yu-Qi Li, Yong-Qiang Liu
Membrane technologies are increasingly pivotal in advancing the circular economy by enabling efficient water recovery and supporting stricter environmental regulations through the reduction of emerging pollutant emissions. However, membrane fouling remains a critical barrier to optimal performance, long-term durability, and sustainability. To overcome this challenge, physical treatment devices (PTDs) including magnetic fields (MFs), electric fields (EFs), electromagnetic fields (EMFs), ultrasound (US), and micro/nanobubbles (MNBs) have emerged as environmentally friendly and sustainable alternatives to conventional chemical cleaning. This review critically examines the current state of research on these physical treatments, particularly focusing on their distinct and shared fouling control mechanisms, integration into membrane system configurations, and practical applications. Based on mechanistic analysis, this review highlights the potential synergistic effects of combining two different PTDs to enhance cleaning efficacy, reduce chemical dependence, and lower energy demand. Notably, combinations such as EFs with MNBs or EFs with US have demonstrated substantial improvements in fouling control, however, other combined configurations such as EMFs or US with MNBs remain underexplored and need further investigation. Furthermore, this review outlines the current research limitations and identifies key directions for future investigation, particularly regarding biofouling, its interactions with other fouling types, fouling control mechanisms, system-level optimization, synergistic effects from combined PTDs and engineering applications. Addressing these knowledge gaps is essential to fully unlock the potential of physical treatment and advancing more efficient, sustainable, and cost-effective membrane-based water treatment solutions.
{"title":"A critical review of electromagnetic fields, ultrasound, and nanobubbles for membrane fouling control and cleaning: Mechanisms, applications, challenges and opportunities","authors":"Yu-Qi Li, Yong-Qiang Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.desal.2025.119828","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.desal.2025.119828","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Membrane technologies are increasingly pivotal in advancing the circular economy by enabling efficient water recovery and supporting stricter environmental regulations through the reduction of emerging pollutant emissions. However, membrane fouling remains a critical barrier to optimal performance, long-term durability, and sustainability. To overcome this challenge, physical treatment devices (PTDs) including magnetic fields (MFs), electric fields (EFs), electromagnetic fields (EMFs), ultrasound (US), and micro/nanobubbles (MNBs) have emerged as environmentally friendly and sustainable alternatives to conventional chemical cleaning. This review critically examines the current state of research on these physical treatments, particularly focusing on their distinct and shared fouling control mechanisms, integration into membrane system configurations, and practical applications. Based on mechanistic analysis, this review highlights the potential synergistic effects of combining two different PTDs to enhance cleaning efficacy, reduce chemical dependence, and lower energy demand. Notably, combinations such as EFs with MNBs or EFs with US have demonstrated substantial improvements in fouling control, however, other combined configurations such as EMFs or US with MNBs remain underexplored and need further investigation. Furthermore, this review outlines the current research limitations and identifies key directions for future investigation, particularly regarding biofouling, its interactions with other fouling types, fouling control mechanisms, system-level optimization, synergistic effects from combined PTDs and engineering applications. Addressing these knowledge gaps is essential to fully unlock the potential of physical treatment and advancing more efficient, sustainable, and cost-effective membrane-based water treatment solutions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":299,"journal":{"name":"Desalination","volume":"623 ","pages":"Article 119828"},"PeriodicalIF":9.8,"publicationDate":"2025-12-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145939998","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-30DOI: 10.1016/j.desal.2025.119829
Guizhi Wang , Shukai Wang , Hongxin Guan , Peng Yao , YangYang Zhu , Pan Zhang , Pengfei Lu , Fajun Li , Keying Zhang
The development of efficient electrodes is of crucial significance in the field of capacitive deionization (CDI). In this research, a polyhedron heterostructure composed of Fe-Zn mixed oxides embedded within a carbon matrix (FeZnO/C) was successfully designed and synthesized. The optimally compositional Fe0.2ZnO/C hybrid demonstrated enhanced electrochemical properties, including a higher specific capacitance, lower charge transfer impedance, and improved ion diffusion coefficient. When utilized as a CDI electrode, Fe0.2ZnO/C achieved an exceptional electro-adsorption capacity of 23.44 mg/g in a 500 mg/L NaCl solution under an applied voltage of 1.2 V. Moreover, it showed excellent regeneration stability over 50 consecutive cycles. Mechanism analysis verified that the efficient adsorption of Na+ is mainly ascribed to electrostatic adsorption by the electric double layer formed on the carbon substrate, as well as Na+ intercalation into the lattice and interlayer space of the Fe-Zn mixed metal oxides structure. Theoretical calculations further demonstrated that the Fe-Zn oxide structure preferentially adsorbed Na+, exhibiting a lower adsorption energy. This work provides a viable strategy and solid theoretical foundation for the advancing of high-performance electrode materials in capacitive desalination technologies.
{"title":"MOF-derived Fe-Zn mixed oxides/carbon polyhedron framework for efficient electro-adsorption of salt ions from saline water","authors":"Guizhi Wang , Shukai Wang , Hongxin Guan , Peng Yao , YangYang Zhu , Pan Zhang , Pengfei Lu , Fajun Li , Keying Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.desal.2025.119829","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.desal.2025.119829","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The development of efficient electrodes is of crucial significance in the field of capacitive deionization (CDI). In this research, a polyhedron heterostructure composed of Fe-Zn mixed oxides embedded within a carbon matrix (FeZnO/C) was successfully designed and synthesized. The optimally compositional Fe<sub>0.2</sub>ZnO/C hybrid demonstrated enhanced electrochemical properties, including a higher specific capacitance, lower charge transfer impedance, and improved ion diffusion coefficient. When utilized as a CDI electrode, Fe<sub>0.2</sub>ZnO/C achieved an exceptional electro-adsorption capacity of 23.44 mg/g in a 500 mg/L NaCl solution under an applied voltage of 1.2 V. Moreover, it showed excellent regeneration stability over 50 consecutive cycles. Mechanism analysis verified that the efficient adsorption of Na<sup>+</sup> is mainly ascribed to electrostatic adsorption by the electric double layer formed on the carbon substrate, as well as Na<sup>+</sup> intercalation into the lattice and interlayer space of the Fe-Zn mixed metal oxides structure. Theoretical calculations further demonstrated that the Fe-Zn oxide structure preferentially adsorbed Na<sup>+</sup>, exhibiting a lower adsorption energy. This work provides a viable strategy and solid theoretical foundation for the advancing of high-performance electrode materials in capacitive desalination technologies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":299,"journal":{"name":"Desalination","volume":"623 ","pages":"Article 119829"},"PeriodicalIF":9.8,"publicationDate":"2025-12-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145939976","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-30DOI: 10.1016/j.desal.2025.119826
Wenxia Lin , Yidan Zhou , Fan Lin , Qing Li , Yimin Cai , Wen Feng
The efficient removal of selenium from contaminated water is of critical importance for environmental remediation. However, currently available selenium adsorbents usually suffer from limitations such as low adsorption capacity, insufficient selectivity, and poor recycling efficiency, raising an urgent need to develop efficient adsorbents for sequestrating selenium pollutants in contaminated water. Herein, two novel cationic polymeric networks (YCU-CPNs, namely YCU-CPN-1 and YCU-CPN-2) with different structural sizes are constructed for efficient SeO42− sequestration. Profoundly superior to most reported adsorption materials, YCU-CPNs with cationic pyridinium functionalities display a wide workable pH range for SeO42− removal (pH 2–11), high adsorption capacity (195 mg/g of YCU-CPN-1 and 133 mg/g of YCU-CPN-2), ultrafast adsorption kinetics (2 min for equilibrium), good recyclability, and outstanding selectivity toward SeO42− over coexisting anions. Additionally, these adsorbents achieve high removal efficiency at low concentrations to reduce selenium to below 10 μg/L and can efficiently remove SeO42− from real environmental water, meeting the minimum standard set by global drinking water guidelines. Notably, the dynamic column experiments demonstrate that YCU-CPN-1 also exhibits outstanding dynamic removal efficiency toward SeO42−. This work establishes a feasible approach to tackling the concern of selenium pollution.
{"title":"Ultra-efficient and selective static/dynamic sequestration of selenate from contaminated water by cationic polymeric networks","authors":"Wenxia Lin , Yidan Zhou , Fan Lin , Qing Li , Yimin Cai , Wen Feng","doi":"10.1016/j.desal.2025.119826","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.desal.2025.119826","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The efficient removal of selenium from contaminated water is of critical importance for environmental remediation. However, currently available selenium adsorbents usually suffer from limitations such as low adsorption capacity, insufficient selectivity, and poor recycling efficiency, raising an urgent need to develop efficient adsorbents for sequestrating selenium pollutants in contaminated water. Herein, two novel cationic polymeric networks (YCU-CPNs, namely YCU-CPN-1 and YCU-CPN-2) with different structural sizes are constructed for efficient SeO<sub>4</sub><sup>2−</sup> sequestration. Profoundly superior to most reported adsorption materials, YCU-CPNs with cationic pyridinium functionalities display a wide workable pH range for SeO<sub>4</sub><sup>2−</sup> removal (pH 2–11), high adsorption capacity (195 mg/g of YCU-CPN-1 and 133 mg/g of YCU-CPN-2), ultrafast adsorption kinetics (2 min for equilibrium), good recyclability, and outstanding selectivity toward SeO<sub>4</sub><sup>2−</sup> over coexisting anions. Additionally, these adsorbents achieve high removal efficiency at low concentrations to reduce selenium to below 10 μg/L and can efficiently remove SeO<sub>4</sub><sup>2−</sup> from real environmental water, meeting the minimum standard set by global drinking water guidelines. Notably, the dynamic column experiments demonstrate that YCU-CPN-1 also exhibits outstanding dynamic removal efficiency toward SeO<sub>4</sub><sup>2−</sup>. This work establishes a feasible approach to tackling the concern of selenium pollution.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":299,"journal":{"name":"Desalination","volume":"623 ","pages":"Article 119826"},"PeriodicalIF":9.8,"publicationDate":"2025-12-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145883075","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-30DOI: 10.1016/j.desal.2025.119820
Qihao He , Yang Xiao , Da Li , Guangzhao Qin , Xiong Zheng
The operational efficiency and long-term reliability of photovoltaic (PV) panels are significantly compromised by overheating. To alleviate this issue, this work pioneered a tri-functional hybrid system addressing PV overheating, freshwater scarcity, and lithium extraction challenges. By laminating hydrous titanium oxide (HTO)-functionalized fibers (HTO@fiber) onto PV panels, the integrated system simultaneously enables: (i) evaporative cooling reducing PV temperatures by up to 16.4 °C under one-sun illumination, thereby achieving a peak power output enhancement of 12.5 % through suppressed carrier recombination and widened semiconductor bandgaps; (ii) targeted lithium extraction leveraging evaporation-induced interfacial concentration polarization and waste-heat-activated endothermic adsorption kinetics, achieving optimal lithium cation uptake capacities of 17.81 mg·g−1 with high selectivity in real brines, conforming to pseudo-second-order chemisorption models; and (iii) sustainable desalination yielding freshwater at 1.680 kg·m−2·h−1 under one sun. Outdoor validation over five days demonstrated practical viability with daily averages of 5.79 kg·m−2 freshwater production and up to 4.75 g·g−1 lithium cation recovery, underpinned by HTO@fiber's stability (<10 % capacity loss after 5 cycles) and efficient capillary transport. This integrated paradigm converts PV operational liabilities — thermal dissipation and land footprint — into synergistic resource recovery, establishing a scalable approach to enhance solar infrastructure economics while advancing water-energy-lithium nexus sustainability.
{"title":"Integrated HTO@fiber interfacial evaporator for concurrent photovoltaic cooling, lithium extraction, and desalination","authors":"Qihao He , Yang Xiao , Da Li , Guangzhao Qin , Xiong Zheng","doi":"10.1016/j.desal.2025.119820","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.desal.2025.119820","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The operational efficiency and long-term reliability of photovoltaic (PV) panels are significantly compromised by overheating. To alleviate this issue, this work pioneered a tri-functional hybrid system addressing PV overheating, freshwater scarcity, and lithium extraction challenges. By laminating hydrous titanium oxide (HTO)-functionalized fibers (HTO@fiber) onto PV panels, the integrated system simultaneously enables: (i) evaporative cooling reducing PV temperatures by up to 16.4 °C under one-sun illumination, thereby achieving a peak power output enhancement of 12.5 % through suppressed carrier recombination and widened semiconductor bandgaps; (ii) targeted lithium extraction leveraging evaporation-induced interfacial concentration polarization and waste-heat-activated endothermic adsorption kinetics, achieving optimal lithium cation uptake capacities of 17.81 mg·g<sup>−1</sup> with high selectivity in real brines, conforming to pseudo-second-order chemisorption models; and (iii) sustainable desalination yielding freshwater at 1.680 kg·m<sup>−2</sup>·h<sup>−1</sup> under one sun. Outdoor validation over five days demonstrated practical viability with daily averages of 5.79 kg·m<sup>−2</sup> freshwater production and up to 4.75 g·g<sup>−1</sup> lithium cation recovery, underpinned by HTO@fiber's stability (<10 % capacity loss after 5 cycles) and efficient capillary transport. This integrated paradigm converts PV operational liabilities — thermal dissipation and land footprint — into synergistic resource recovery, establishing a scalable approach to enhance solar infrastructure economics while advancing water-energy-lithium nexus sustainability.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":299,"journal":{"name":"Desalination","volume":"623 ","pages":"Article 119820"},"PeriodicalIF":9.8,"publicationDate":"2025-12-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145939989","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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