A review of recent advances in humidification and dehumidification desalination technologies using solar energy

Increasing freshwater demands globally has driven the development and performance enhancements through various desalination technologies. Solar energy or waste energy for powering thermal desalination is one of the efficient energy management methods to alleviate water shortage. This article presents a comprehensive review of the recent advances in solar thermal humidification and dehumidification desalination processes. For small scale and portable freshwater production, thermal desalination techniques exploiting solar energy are proven significant towards sustainability and reducing environmental impact. Improvements in humidification and dehumidification desalination systems are achieved through various integrated and hybrid arrangements. For example, the inclusion of the heat pump cycle, the vapor compression cycle, the heat recovery cycle (air/water), hybrid AC systems, solar chimney, solar stills, and many other structural modifications such as turbulators to enhance hot-air thermal properties. Integration of heat recovery, mechanical vapor compression, and heat pump cycles have shown significant enhancement in the gained output ratio and production rate. The positive impact of waste energy sources and renewable energy for desalination has indicated a strong move towards sustainability, reducing the impact of desalination on the environment.