Disclosed herein are systems and methods for desalination of salt water based on an engineered acoustic field that causes constructive and destructive interference at precomputed spatial positions. The engineered acoustic field can cause high-pressure and low-pressure regions where desalination membranes are located. The induced pressure from the acoustic field can force pure water through the membranes leaving ionic and dissolved molecular species behind.

In some embodiments, the present disclosure pertains to systems and methods for distilling a fluid by exposing the fluid to a porous membrane that includes a surface capable of generating heat. In some embodiments, the heat generated at the surface propagates the distilling of the fluid by converting the fluid to a vapor that flows through the porous membrane and condenses to a distillate. In some embodiments, the surface capable of generating heat is associated with a photo-thermal composition that generates the heat at the surface by converting light energy from a light source to thermal energy. In some embodiments, the photo-thermal composition includes, without limitation, noble metals, semiconducting materials, dielectric materials, carbon-based materials, composite materials, nanocomposite materials, nanoparticles, hydrophilic materials, polymers, fibers, meshes, fiber meshes, hydrogels, hydrogel meshes, nanomaterials, and combinations thereof. Further embodiments pertain to methods of making the porous membranes of the present disclosure.

An ocean wave-driven sea water desalination plant employs ocean bottom mounted and hinged flaps driven in oscillating motion by wave surge force to drive rotary pumps which directly pressurize filtered sea water for use by a reverse osmosis (RO) plant and a hydraulic motor-generator set which provides electrical power to RO plant peripheral devices. Means are provided to control the filtered sea water pressure presented to the RO membranes to a preferred set point value. Means are also provided to control the pump reaction torque presented to the flap independently of water pressure by adjusting the effective pump displacement with a pulse width modulated valve shunting the pump ports to maximize captured wave power. Control of pump reaction torque may be effected slowly according to average sea state conditions or in real-time to further enhance captured wave power.

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.

A system may be configured to use heat energy to produce power and potable water. The system may include an organic rankine cycle (ORC) subsystem configured to receive heat energy from one or more sources and convert that heat energy into usable power. The system may also include an air gap membrane distillation (AGMD) subsystem configured to receive heat energy from the ORC subsystem and use the heat energy to convert impure water into potable water.

A method for controlling a membrane distillation system includes determining whether there is a day time or a night time at a location of a solar collector system associated with the membrane distillation system; applying a first control mode during the day time to a flow velocity of a feed used by the membrane distillation system; and applying a second control mode, different from the first control scheme, during the night time, to the feed. The first control scheme is a model-free mode.

An integrated solar PV panel-membrane distillation system includes a solar photovoltaic panel having a front face for receiving solar energy and a back face, opposite to the front face and a membrane distillation device attached directly to the back face of the solar photovoltaic panel. The solar photovoltaic panel is configured to simultaneously generate electrical energy and transfer heat to the back membrane distillation device for generating fresh water from contaminated water.

A water purification system utilizes an ionomer membrane and mild vacuum to draw water from source water through the membrane. A water source may be salt water or a contaminated water source. The water drawn through the membrane passes across the condenser chamber to a condenser surface where it is condensed into purified water. The condenser surface may be metal or any other suitable surface and may be flat or pleated. In addition, the condenser surface may be maintained at a lower temperature than the water on the water source side of the membrane. The ionomer membrane may be configured in a cartridge, a pleated or flat plate configuration. A latent heat loop may be configured to carry the latent heat of vaporization from the condenser back to the water source side of the ionomer membrane. The source water may be heated by a solar water heater.

A large scale water desalination process for producing at least 100,000 m.sup.3/day of product water. Feed water is passed through a high pressure pump driven by at least one steam turbine capable of producing at least 1 MW of energy, the pressurized feed water passing through at least one reverse osmosis membrane to provide a residual brine stream and a product water. A start-up step slowly increases pressure in the membrane at a maximum rate of 12 psi (8.3 Newtons/cm.sup.2; 0.08 MPa) per second by rotation of the turbine driven high pressure pump at a maximum rate of 30 RPM to slowly increase pressure on the membrane to a predetermined operational pressure and controlling the operational pressure following the start-up step by rotation of the high pressure pump between 500 RPM and 5000 RPM dependent on the pressure applied by the steam turbine.

A system comprises an electrodialysis apparatus, which includes first and second reservoirs, wherein a salt concentration in the first reservoir reduces below a threshold concentration and salt concentration in the second reservoir increases during an operation mode. A first electrode comprises a first solution of a first redox-active electrolyte material, and a second electrode comprises a second solution of a second redox-active electrolyte material. In a first reversible redox reaction between the first electrode and first electrolyte material at least one ion is accepted from the first reservoir, and in a second reversible redox reaction between the second electrode and second electrolyte material at least one ion is driven into the second reservoir. A first type of membrane is disposed between the first and second reservoirs, and a second type of membrane, different from the first type, is disposed between the respective electrodes and reservoirs.