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Sustainability of water desalination technologies

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Freshwater scarcity, caused by climate change, increasing pollution, and abusive exploration of natural resources, is currently one of the key challenges for several populations worldwide. The conversion of seawater into freshwater through desalination has been gaining attention as a promising solution to overcome low freshwater availability, particularly in coastal communities. The desalination process however is still costly, mostly due to a high energetic demand, and its by-products, such as brine, are enriched in contaminants that can be hazardous to the environment when disposed without treatment. The sustainability of water desalination technologies has thus been questioned, and the development of cost-effective environmentally friendly methods is in high demand.

This Collection invites original research on recent developments in water desalination technologies, as well as strategies to minimize its environmental impact.

This Collection supports and amplifies research related to SDG 6, SDG 11 and SDG 12.

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Female hands with sea salt from Dead Sea

Editors

Shadi W. Hasan is the Director of the Center for Membranes and Advanced Water Technology (CMAT), and Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering at Khalifa University (KU). His expertise include desalination, wastewater treatment, nanomaterials, membranes, and energy efficiency in water processes. Dr. Hasan has been an Editorial Board Member for Scientific Reports since 2023.

 

 

Zhenmeng Peng is a Professor at University of South Carolina. His academic interests include fundamental understanding of catalytic reactions, catalyst materials research for chemical and electrochemical reactions, and electrochemical engineering for energy and environmental applications. Dr. Peng has been an Editorial Board Member for Scientific Reports since 2023.

 

 

Shuaifei Zhao is a Senior Research Fellow in Institute for Frontier Materials at Deakin University. His research expertise and interests include various separation technologies for desalination, water treatment, water reuse, resources (e.g. energy, metals and nutrients) recovery, carbon capture and utilisation, and energy generation. He is doing interdisciplinary research involving environmental engineering, chemical engineering and materials engineering. Dr. Zhao has been an Editorial Board Member for Scientific Reports since 2021.