A Critical Review on Desalination Technologies for High-Salinity Wastewater: Development and Challenges

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Chemical Engineering
• Materials Science

Background:

• Industrial growth generates high-salinity wastewater, threatening ecosystems and causing resource loss.
• Discharge leads to freshwater salinization and heavy metal mobilization.
• Desalination involves concentration and crystallization for salt recovery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To map research trends and knowledge structure in high-salinity wastewater treatment.
• To systematically review advanced desalination technologies and their evolution.
• To assess the potential of integrated processes for zero liquid discharge (ZLD).

Main Methods:

• Bibliometric analysis to identify research hotspots and trends.
• Systematic review of desalination technologies, including membrane and thermal methods.
• Analysis of salinity's impact on membrane scaling.

Main Results:

• "Membrane-thermal integration" emerged as a dominant research hotspot post-2020.
• A progression from biological to advanced membrane and thermal methods was observed.
• Integrated membrane-thermal processes are highly promising for ZLD.

Conclusions:

• Integrated membrane-thermal desalination offers a promising pathway to ZLD.
• Future research should focus on functional materials, hybrid processes, and emerging technologies.
• Enhancing treatment efficiency and reducing operational costs are key future goals.