Emerging Membrane Technologies for Water and Energy Sustainability: Future Prospects, Constraints and Challenges

Abstract

The increasing demand for global energy consumption expedites major opportunities for the innovation of green energy technologies. Addressing the issue of sustainable energy is highly crucial for societies in order to maintain secure and balanced future progress in the economy and ecologically. Recently, there has been a growing interest in the development of improved and efficient sustainable energy technologies that are capable of reducing the global environmental footprint. The growing knowledge of hybrid techniques contributes to a decrease in the use of environmental resources while generating energy. However, various factors including the availability of natural resources, and different economic policies restrict the development of sustainable energies. Water and energy are the two major aspects for progressing towards a sustainable future. Recently, membrane-based technologies have begun to play an essential role in the advancement of sustainable energy and water demands. In this review article, the opportunities for membrane technologies dealing with water and energy sustainability have been analyzed.

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“…However, there have been reported cases of severe membrane fouling [49,53]. There is a continuous modification in membrane modules and membrane elements in enhancing the reduction in membrane fouling, which is a major challenge for membrane processes [54]. The leeway of combining two or more membrane processes, or with other forms of technology like coagulation, in an amalgam fashion is continuously being explored, advanced, and applied in many wastewater treatment facilities [54][55][56].…”

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