The hybrid desalination system is a desalination system for seawater which uses both filtering and treatment from a reverse osmosis filter system as well as evaporative distillation for the production of potable water. The hybrid desalination system includes a recovery system, which may be a reverse osmosis system, a forward osmosis system, or a combination thereof, for at least partially desalinating a volume of saltwater and outputting a treated fluid. A boiler is in fluid communication with the recovery system for receiving the treated fluid and producing pure water by evaporative desalination. The boiler includes an internal heating coil for passing a heated working fluid therethrough. A collection tank is in communication with to the boiler for receiving the pure water. At least one solar parabolic trough is in fluid communication with the internal heating coil of the boiler for heating the heated working fluid.

Systems and methods using membrane distillation are provided for desalinating water, for example for the production of potable water, to address freshwater requirements. In an aspect the systems and methods do not require applying an external heat source, or the energy cost of the heating source, to heat the feed stream to the membrane. In an aspect, the sensible heat present in surface seawater is used for the heat energy for the warm stream fed to the membrane, and deep seawater is used as the cold/coolant feed to the membrane to provide the needed temperature gradient or differential across the membrane.

A portable fluid-sanitizing system and assembly configured for personal use are provided. The system and assembly combine mechanical and electrical methods for removing and/or deactivating harmful chemicals, molecules, atoms, ions, and even microorganisms from fluid. The system and assembly comprise a hand-holdable container that is sized to receive a filter, such as an activated carbon block capable of adsorbing or otherwise capturing a variety of undesirable contents from the fluid. Ultraviolet lights may be disposed along an inner or outer portion of the container and placed so that their emissions penetrate any fluid contents of the container. Finally, means for electrically powering the lights may be provided. The means may be mechanically operated, such as by mechanically inducing a current in a coiled wire, or by hand-cranking a dynamo in electrical communication with the lights. Thus harmful or undesirable contents may be physically filtered and further irradiated to provide potable water.

A system for producing potable water, including a primary water harvester including a non-potable water source, gas heating chamber, wherein the gas heating chamber includes a gas directing tube having a gas located within the gas directing tube such that the gas heating chamber is used to heat the gas located within the gas directing tube, a gas mover operatively connected to the gas directing tube for moving the heated gas contained within the gas directing tube, an evaporator operatively connected at one end to the gas directing tube, wherein the heated gas located within the gas directing tube contacts non-potable from the non-potable water source such that a water vapor in the heated gas is increased, and a condenser operatively connected to the other end of the evaporator, wherein the condenser causes the water vapor to condense out of the heated gas to produce potable water. A secondary function of the system allows it to act as a concentrator for organic and inorganic components present in the non-potable water that can be considered additional resources to be recovered in addition to the potable water produced by the system.

Provided herein are water harvesting systems, as well as methods using such systems, for capturing water from surrounding air. The systems and methods use water capture materials to adsorb water from the air. For example, the water capture materials may be metal-organic-frameworks. The systems and methods desorb this water in the form of water vapor, and the water vapor is condensed into liquid water and collected. The liquid water is suitable for use as drinking water.

Saline water from a body of water is desalinated using a water purification system. Chambers of a plurality of tanks are filled with a volume of saline water. The saline water is heated to increase a pressure and produce water vapor within the chamber of each tank. A condensation valve disposed within a condensing tube is moved to an open position such that the water vapor is released into a respective condensing tube. The water vapor is condensed to provide potable water.

A potable water producing system for disposition at a salt water body and methods of producing potable water are provided. The system includes a wave energy conversion system (AWECS) and a portable filtration system. The AWECS forms a floating articulated barge having an onboard desalination system including reverse osmosis membranes. The filtration system is a sand filter residing on a damping plate submerged in the salt water body and filters the adjacent salt water for providing filtered salt water to the onboard desalination system. Wave action on the articulated barge provides energy to pump and pressurize the filtered salt water from the sand filter to the reverse osmosis membranes to produce potable water. The wave action on the articulated barge effects shaking of the reverse osmosis membranes, thereby rendering them self-cleaning. The potable water can be used for various applications, e.g., bottling, replenishing aquifers, ground and/or aquifer remediation, irrigation, etc.

The present invention relates to water purification using solar energy. More specifically, systems and methods according to the present invention collect solar energy to heat non-potable water in a super-insulated structure. Compressed heated air is injected to evaporate water vapor out of brackish water, saltwater, or dirty water, thereby creating saturated air. The saturated air is drawn through a cooling tower and distilled water is precipitated. The systems and methods employ heat recovery and recycling processes to maximize energy efficiency.

An ambient water condensing apparatus that extracts water vapor from ambient air utilizing a thermoelectric device, a superhydrophobic and/or superhydrophilic radiating condensing surface and a heat sink for providing point of source irrigation or drinking water using conventional and/or sustainable energy supplies. The thermoelectric device is thermally coupled intermediate of the condensing surface and the heat sink, and in particular a cold side of the thermoelectric device is thermally connected to the condensing surface and a hot side of the thermoelectric device is thermally connected to the heat sink. The water condensing apparatus may also include at least one fan element that cools the heat sink and introduces additional air to the condensing surface. The thermoelectric device and the fan element may be powered by any suitable electrical energy source, such as by solar energy, wind energy or grid power.

A high-efficiency solar multi-layer evaporative seawater desalination device includes a transparent housing. In the device, wedge-shaped recesses are formed on an outer wall of the transparent housing; during seawater desalination, seawater is injected into evaporation trays and sunlight is irradiated on the evaporation trays through the transparent housing; the transparent housing is made of a transparent plastic material, such that sunlight can directly enter the transparent housing and increase a temperature therein to speed up the evaporation; the wedge-shaped recesses are on a shady surface; during desalination, seawater in the evaporation trays absorbs heat and evaporates to form water vapor, such that there is a given temperature difference between the water vapor and the outside; and a lower part of the wedge-shaped recess can serve as a condensation surface, the water vapor condenses on the transparent housing or at the wedge-shaped recess.