Advances in Thermally Driven Membrane Desalination

Global freshwater scarcity is intensifying due to anthropogenic climate change, population expansion, and the degradation of conventional water resources. Thermally driven membrane desalination technologies, principally membrane distillation (MD) and pervaporation desalination (PD), have emerged as viable alternatives to pressure-driven processes, particularly for treating high-salinity brines and industrial wastewaters with complex physicochemical profiles. These technologies operate at ambient hydraulic pressures and can utilize low-grade or waste heat, offering inherent synergies with renewable energy sources and industrial thermal effluents. Nevertheless, widespread deployment remains constrained by persistent challenges, including membrane fouling, scaling, wetting, and relatively high specific thermal energy consumption. Recent innovations in membrane materials, notably superhydrophobic membranes, Janus membranes, localized heating membrane, and advanced nanostructured architectures, present promising pathways to overcome these limitations. This Research Topic seeks to capture and synthesize the latest advances and emerging frontiers in this rapidly evolving field.Notwithstanding two decades of intensive research, thermally driven membrane desalination technologies have yet to achieve broad industrial adoption. The central scientific and technical challenge resides in the inherent trade-off among membrane permeability, solute selectivity, and long-term operational robustness. Membrane scaling and fouling remain critical failure mechanisms, particularly when processing real-world feed streams containing surfactants, hydrophobic organic compounds, or inorganic ions. Furthermore, specific thermal energy consumption must be substantially reduced to render these processes economically competitive with established desalination benchmarks.This Research Topic aims to address these barriers by showcasing high-impact contributions that advance both fundamental understanding and applied solutions. We seek to deepen insight into coupled heat and mass transport phenomena, elucidate fouling and wetting mechanisms at membrane–solution interfaces, and develop next-generation membranes with tailored surface chemistry and architecture. Strategic approaches include the rational design of superhydrophobic, omniphobic, and Janus membranes exhibiting anti-scaling and anti-fouling properties; exploration of novel membrane materials beyond conventional polymers; and intelligent integration of low-grade heat sources, such as solar thermal, geothermal, and industrial waste heat. By fostering convergence across materials science, transport phenomena, surface engineering, and process systems design, this Research Topic aspires to accelerate the translational pathway from laboratory innovation to scalable, energy-efficient desalination solutions.This Research Topic invites original research articles, comprehensive reviews, mini-reviews, perspectives, and short communications addressing recent advances in thermally driven membrane desalination. Specific themes of interest include, but are not limited to:1. Novel membrane materials for membrane distillation and pervaporation desalination2. Design, fabrication, and characterization of superhydrophobic, omniphobic, and Janus membranes3. Mechanisms and mitigation strategies for membrane scaling/fouling and wetting4. Low-energy and energy-efficient thermally driven processes and system integration5. Utilization of low-grade heat sources (solar, geothermal, industrial waste heat)6. Hybrid and multi-stage configurations for enhanced water recovery and brine management7. Transport modeling, scaling phenomena, and process intensification8. Pilot-scale validation, long-term durability studies, and techno-economic assessmentSubmissions must demonstrate novelty, rigorous methodology, and clear contextualization against the state of the art. Contributions aligned with UN Sustainable Development Goal 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation) are particularly encouraged. Manuscripts focused exclusively on biological membranes or purely pressure-driven processes fall outside the scope of this collection. Topic editors: Xiangjun Liao, Bahar Özbey Ünal, Lingling Zhong Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/84420/advances-in-thermally-driven-membrane-desalination