Direct Contact and Vacuum Membrane Distillation Processes for Water Recovery

In this study, two MD configurations, vacuum membrane distillation (VMD) and direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD), were compared under different operating conditions. It was found that under the same conditions VMD was capable of greater water flux and production compared to DCMD, but VMD was severely limited by operating temperature and pressure. It was also determined that membranes should aim to decrease wall thickness and diameter, and increase hydrophobicity and porosity to maximize water production for both systems. Implementing these changes may make MD a more commercially competitive desalination technology.