Inventions, innovations, and new technologies: Solar Desalination

Abstract

This article is a brief review of inventions, innovations, and commercialization aspects of solar desalination technology for clean water supply. It is estimated that by the year 2025, nearly two-thirds of the global population will be affected by clean water scarcity. Solar desalination is one of the most sustainable ways of facing this global challenge with emerging technological advancements. Highly efficient interfacial solar evaporation that localizes the heat on the evaporating surface has attracted tremendous research interest within the last few years. In addition, notable innovations can be found in adsorption desalination and energy-efficient freeze desalination. The mini review is followed by a list of notable recent patents and articles. However, the list is by no means exhaustive or complete, and quite possibly some important patents and articles are not cited. The mini review and the lists support the objective of this section: to draw attention to the topic of inventions, innovations and new technologies, which can be a major contributor to the global goal of net zero carbon emissions.