Membrane distillation (MD) is not fully commercialized yet, I'm looking for experts opinion in this area and what should be done next in order to improve this technology.
This is a very good question and i'm very curious what others will say. I believe MD will not beat RO in the low salinity range. Therefore, in my opinion the best applications are brine treatment, highly saline wastewater treatment in different industries and the recovery of salts and other valuable solutes. Important is also the availability of waste heat. Coupling with MED/MSF might be interesting. However, in some cases MD can also be economically viable without waste heat, when for example discharge price is high, which is often the case for inland high salinity brines.
In simple terms:
1. Right application. Full knowledge of water analysis (Composition of ionic as well as non-ionic impurities, organics, silica, suspended solids, hardness, etc. RIGHT PRETREATMENT WILL BE THE KEY
2. Bench tests with actual wastewater
3. Pilot studies, 3-6 months in the field, complete with pretreatment
4. Feasibility study including CAPEX and OPEX analysis
5. Full knowledge of MD membrane chemistry, membrane configuration, membrane flux with given conditions,
6. Full cooperation between MD supplier, engineer and Owner
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