SUSTAINABLE MEMBRANE DISTILLATION FOR INDUSTRIAL WATER REUSE AND DECENTRALISED DESALINATION APPROACHING ZERO WASTE

MEloDIZER implements high-performance membranes and modules in strategic applications of membrane distillation (MD), hence providing the decisive step for the success of MD. These core components are fabricated with a focus on feasible wide uptake and on sustainability, substituting harmful materials and protocols with >80% of benign solvents and relying on green chemistry principles. Both flat-sheets and innovative hollow-fibres are produced, striking the optimum between productivity and energy efficiency, as well as minimising fouling/wetting phenomena, also by applying novel sacrificial coatings while membranes are in situ. Optimised modules are developed with a focus on hydrodynamics and energy recovery improvements. These activities are strongly supported by sustained modelling tasks, conducted at different scales to (i) control the relationship between membrane properties and performance, (ii) customise module geometry, and (iii) increase system efficiency and automation. The membranes and modules are thus rationally installed as core components of four MD prototypes spanning three orders of magnitude of productivity. Two prototypes (2-5 m3/day, 0.5-2 m3/day) are demonstrated in industrial facilities (textile, beverage, chemical industries) to reuse wastewater (70-90%), thus reducing water footprint and approaching zero waste, as well as to recovery valuable nutrients as secondary raw materials from aquaculture wastewater. Two prototypes (50-100 L/day, 10-20 L/day) are demonstrated as low-cost, ready-to-use, passive, autonomous, decentralised units, delivering drinking water from saline and challenging sources at community and family level. All prototypes are run with 90-100% sustainable energy from waste heat and/or solar energy, with careful designs that maximise membrane and system performance. Quantitative, robust evaluations of market entry and environmental benefits act as input data for each innovation activity in MEloDIZER and to promote exploitation.