IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/rensus/v140y2021ics1364032121000095.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Optimisation of renewable energy powered reverse osmosis desalination systems: A state-of-the-art review

Author

Listed:
  • Okampo, Ewaoche John
  • Nwulu, Nnamdi

Abstract

Reverse osmosis (RO) desalination has become a prominent desalination method for fresh-water production from either saline seawater or brackish water to meet the ever-growing demand for water, especially in water-scarce regions. Its integration with renewable energy sources (RES) reduces the environmental impact of carbon emission by conventional fossil fuel energy sources. The optimisation of the RES-RO desalination system is intended mainly to minimise total system cost and energy requirements and to guarantee system reliability. In this study, an extensive review of the optimisation of the RES-RO desalination system is presented based on optimal system sizing, optimal system operation and optimal thermodynamic analysis. RES such as geothermal, ocean, wind and solar energy and their hybrids were considered alongside desalination methods. Important findings of the review were discussed, and recommendations made for future work. Key recommendations of this study include the suggestion that extensive optimisation and analysis of a RES-RO system should utilise optimisation approaches that combine the sizing, operation and thermodynamic effect of the system. Future work should furthermore incorporate both economic and reliability indices in the formation of objective functions. Finally, demand response programmes can be introduced to the RES-RO system for demand side management. This has the potential of minimising system cost while maximising fresh-water production.

Suggested Citation

  • Okampo, Ewaoche John & Nwulu, Nnamdi, 2021. "Optimisation of renewable energy powered reverse osmosis desalination systems: A state-of-the-art review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 140(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:rensus:v:140:y:2021:i:c:s1364032121000095
    DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2021.110712
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1364032121000095
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.rser.2021.110712?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Narayan, G. Prakash & McGovern, Ronan K. & Zubair, Syed M. & Lienhard, John H., 2012. "High-temperature-steam-driven, varied-pressure, humidification-dehumidification system coupled with reverse osmosis for energy-efficient seawater desalination," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 37(1), pages 482-493.
    2. Reif, John H. & Alhalabi, Wadee, 2015. "Solar-thermal powered desalination: Its significant challenges and potential," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 152-165.
    3. Jia, Zhijun & Wang, Baoguo & Song, Shiqiang & Fan, Yongsheng, 2014. "Blue energy: Current technologies for sustainable power generation from water salinity gradient," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 31(C), pages 91-100.
    4. Han, D. & He, W.F. & Yue, C. & Pu, W.H., 2017. "Study on desalination of zero-emission system based on mechanical vapor compression," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 185(P2), pages 1490-1496.
    5. Maleki, Akbar & Khajeh, Morteza Gholipour & Rosen, Marc A., 2016. "Weather forecasting for optimization of a hybrid solar-wind–powered reverse osmosis water desalination system using a novel optimizer approach," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 1120-1134.
    6. Altmann, Thomas & Robert, Justin & Bouma, Andrew & Swaminathan, Jaichander & Lienhard, John H., 2019. "Primary energy and exergy of desalination technologies in a power-water cogeneration scheme," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 252(C), pages 1-1.
    7. Palenzuela, Patricia & Zaragoza, Guillermo & Alarcón-Padilla, Diego C. & Guillén, Elena & Ibarra, Mercedes & Blanco, Julián, 2011. "Assessment of different configurations for combined parabolic-trough (PT) solar power and desalination plants in arid regions," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 36(8), pages 4950-4958.
    8. He, W.F. & Ji, C. & Han, D. & Wu, Y.K. & Huang, L. & Zhang, X.K., 2017. "Performance analysis of the mechanical vapor compression desalination system driven by an organic Rankine cycle," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 141(C), pages 1177-1186.
    9. Li, Binghui & de Queiroz, Anderson Rodrigo & DeCarolis, Joseph F. & Bane, John & He, Ruoying & Keeler, Andrew G. & Neary, Vincent S., 2017. "The economics of electricity generation from Gulf Stream currents," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 134(C), pages 649-658.
    10. Kim, Albert S. & Kim, Hyeon-Ju & Lee, Ho-Saeng & Cha, Sangwon, 2016. "Dual-use open cycle ocean thermal energy conversion (OC-OTEC) using multiple condensers for adjustable power generation and seawater desalination," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 85(C), pages 344-358.
    11. Aghaei Chadegani, Arezoo & Salehi, Hadi & Md Yunus, Melor & Farhadi, Hadi & Fooladi, Masood & Farhadi, Maryam & Ale Ebrahim, Nader, 2013. "A Comparison between Two Main Academic Literature Collections: Web of Science and Scopus Databases," MPRA Paper 46898, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 18 Mar 2013.
    12. He, Wei & Wang, Yang & Shaheed, Mohammad Hasan, 2015. "Stand-alone seawater RO (reverse osmosis) desalination powered by PV (photovoltaic) and PRO (pressure retarded osmosis)," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 86(C), pages 423-435.
    13. Rosales-Asensio, Enrique & Borge-Diez, David & Pérez-Hoyos, Ana & Colmenar-Santos, Antonio, 2019. "Reduction of water cost for an existing wind-energy-based desalination scheme: A preliminary configuration," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 167(C), pages 548-560.
    14. Li, Chennan & Goswami, Yogi & Stefanakos, Elias, 2013. "Solar assisted sea water desalination: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 19(C), pages 136-163.
    15. Li, Zhenyu & Siddiqi, Afreen & Anadon, Laura Diaz & Narayanamurti, Venkatesh, 2018. "Towards sustainability in water-energy nexus: Ocean energy for seawater desalination," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 82(P3), pages 3833-3847.
    16. Al-Karaghouli, Ali & Renne, David & Kazmerski, Lawrence L., 2010. "Technical and economic assessment of photovoltaic-driven desalination systems," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 35(2), pages 323-328.
    17. Jennifer Leijon & Johan Forslund & Karin Thomas & Cecilia Boström, 2018. "Marine Current Energy Converters to Power a Reverse Osmosis Desalination Plant," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(11), pages 1-13, October.
    18. Chen, Q. & Ja, M. Kum & Li, Y. & Chua, K.J., 2019. "Energy, exergy and economic analysis of a hybrid spray-assisted low-temperature desalination/thermal vapor compression system," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 166(C), pages 871-885.
    19. Daniilidis, Alexandros & Vermaas, David A. & Herber, Rien & Nijmeijer, Kitty, 2014. "Experimentally obtainable energy from mixing river water, seawater or brines with reverse electrodialysis," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 64(C), pages 123-131.
    20. Gude, Veera Gnaneswar, 2016. "Geothermal source potential for water desalination – Current status and future perspective," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 1038-1065.
    21. González, Daniel & Amigo, José & Suárez, Francisco, 2017. "Membrane distillation: Perspectives for sustainable and improved desalination," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 238-259.
    22. Ayodele, T.R. & Ogunjuyigbe, A.S.O., 2015. "Mitigation of wind power intermittency: Storage technology approach," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 447-456.
    23. Segurado, R. & Madeira, J.F.A. & Costa, M. & Duić, N. & Carvalho, M.G., 2016. "Optimization of a wind powered desalination and pumped hydro storage system," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 177(C), pages 487-499.
    24. Saidur, R. & Elcevvadi, E.T. & Mekhilef, S. & Safari, A. & Mohammed, H.A., 2011. "An overview of different distillation methods for small scale applications," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 15(9), pages 4756-4764.
    25. Lehmann, Marcus & Karimpour, Farid & Goudey, Clifford A. & Jacobson, Paul T. & Alam, Mohammad-Reza, 2017. "Ocean wave energy in the United States: Current status and future perspectives," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 1300-1313.
    26. Jamil, Muhammad Ahmad & Zubair, Syed M., 2017. "Design and analysis of a forward feed multi-effect mechanical vapor compression desalination system: An exergo-economic approach," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 140(P1), pages 1107-1120.
    27. El-Sebaii, A.A. & El-Bialy, E., 2015. "Advanced designs of solar desalination systems: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 1198-1212.
    28. Ali, Muhammad Tauha & Fath, Hassan E.S. & Armstrong, Peter R., 2011. "A comprehensive techno-economical review of indirect solar desalination," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 15(8), pages 4187-4199.
    29. Unesco Unesco, 2015. "Water for a Sustainable World," Working Papers id:6657, eSocialSciences.
    30. Korpås, Magnus & Greiner, Christopher J., 2008. "Opportunities for hydrogen production in connection with wind power in weak grids," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 33(6), pages 1199-1208.
    31. Bourouni, K. & Ben M’Barek, T. & Al Taee, A., 2011. "Design and optimization of desalination reverse osmosis plants driven by renewable energies using genetic algorithms," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 36(3), pages 936-950.
    32. Lee, Sangkeum & Cho, Hong-Yeon & Har, Dongsoo, 2018. "Operation optimization with jointly controlled modules powered by hybrid energy source: A case study of desalination," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 81(P2), pages 3070-3080.
    33. Bilgili, Mehmet & Ozbek, Arif & Sahin, Besir & Kahraman, Ali, 2015. "An overview of renewable electric power capacity and progress in new technologies in the world," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 323-334.
    34. Park, Gavin L. & Schäfer, Andrea I. & Richards, Bryce S., 2013. "Renewable energy-powered membrane technology: Supercapacitors for buffering resource fluctuations in a wind-powered membrane system for brackish water desalination," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 126-135.
    35. Kasaeian, Alibakhsh & Rajaee, Fatemeh & Yan, Wei-Mon, 2019. "Osmotic desalination by solar energy: A critical review," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 134(C), pages 1473-1490.
    36. Lamei, A. & van der Zaag, P. & von Münch, E., 2008. "Impact of solar energy cost on water production cost of seawater desalination plants in Egypt," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(5), pages 1748-1756, May.
    37. Bajpai, Prabodh & Dash, Vaishalee, 2012. "Hybrid renewable energy systems for power generation in stand-alone applications: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 16(5), pages 2926-2939.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Batista, Natasha E. & Carvalho, Paulo C.M. & Fernández-Ramírez, Luis M. & Braga, Arthur P.S., 2023. "Optimizing methodologies of hybrid renewable energy systems powered reverse osmosis plants," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 182(C).
    2. Ghasemi-Marzbali, Ali & Shafiei, Mohammad & Ahmadiahangar, Roya, 2023. "Day-ahead economical planning of multi-vector energy district considering demand response program," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 332(C).
    3. Ebrahim Hamid Hussein Al-Qadami & Zahiraniza Mustaffa & Mohamed E. Al-Atroush, 2022. "Evaluation of the Pavement Geothermal Energy Harvesting Technologies towards Sustainability and Renewable Energy," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-26, February.
    4. Kumar, Nagendra & Karmakar, Sujit, 2022. "Techno-economics of a trigeneration HRES; a step towards sustainable development," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 198(C), pages 833-840.
    5. Zhao, Pan & Gou, Feifei & Xu, Wenpan & Wang, Jiangfeng & Dai, Yiping, 2022. "Multi-objective optimization of a renewable power supply system with underwater compressed air energy storage for seawater reverse osmosis under two different operation schemes," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 181(C), pages 71-90.
    6. Rafał Figaj & Maciej Żołądek & Maksymilian Homa & Anna Pałac, 2022. "A Novel Hybrid Polygeneration System Based on Biomass, Wind and Solar Energy for Micro-Scale Isolated Communities," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(17), pages 1-33, August.
    7. Zhang, Weiping & Maleki, Akbar, 2022. "Modeling and optimization of a stand-alone desalination plant powered by solar/wind energies based on back-up systems using a hybrid algorithm," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 254(PC).
    8. Ewaoche John Okampo & Nnamdi Nwulu & Pitshou N. Bokoro, 2022. "Economic and Reliability Assessment of Hybrid PRO-RO Desalination Systems Using Brine for Salinity Gradient Energy Production," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-16, March.
    9. Tashtoush, Bourhan & Alyahya, Wa'ed & Al Ghadi, Malak & Al-Omari, Jamal & Morosuk, Tatiana, 2023. "Renewable energy integration in water desalination: State-of-the-art review and comparative analysis," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 352(C).
    10. Barone, G. & Buonomano, A. & Forzano, C. & Palombo, A., 2021. "Implementing the dynamic simulation approach for the design and optimization of ships energy systems: Methodology and applicability to modern cruise ships," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 150(C).
    11. Mahmoudi, Ali & Bostani, Mohammad & Rashidi, Saman & Valipour, Mohammad Sadegh, 2023. "Challenges and opportunities of desalination with renewable energy resources in Middle East countries," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 184(C).
    12. Mohammed, Ramy H. & Rezk, Ahmed & Askalany, Ahmed & Ali, Ehab S. & Zohir, A.E. & Sultan, Muhammad & Ghazy, Mohamed & Abdelkareem, Mohammad Ali & Olabi, A.G., 2021. "Metal-organic frameworks in cooling and water desalination: Synthesis and application," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 149(C).
    13. Zhao, Pan & Xu, Wenpan & Liu, Aijie & Wu, Wenze & Wang, Jiangfeng & Yan, Zhequan, 2022. "Performance evaluation of a renewable driven standalone combined power and water supply system with cascade electricity and heat storage," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 199(C), pages 1283-1299.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Khan, Meer A.M. & Rehman, S. & Al-Sulaiman, Fahad A., 2018. "A hybrid renewable energy system as a potential energy source for water desalination using reverse osmosis: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 97(C), pages 456-477.
    2. Omar, Amr & Nashed, Amir & Li, Qiyuan & Leslie, Greg & Taylor, Robert A., 2020. "Pathways for integrated concentrated solar power - Desalination: A critical review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 119(C).
    3. Manju, S. & Sagar, Netramani, 2017. "Renewable energy integrated desalination: A sustainable solution to overcome future fresh-water scarcity in India," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 594-609.
    4. Shalaby, S.M., 2017. "Reverse osmosis desalination powered by photovoltaic and solar Rankine cycle power systems: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 789-797.
    5. Kasaeian, Alibakhsh & Rajaee, Fatemeh & Yan, Wei-Mon, 2019. "Osmotic desalination by solar energy: A critical review," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 134(C), pages 1473-1490.
    6. Li, Zhenyu & Siddiqi, Afreen & Anadon, Laura Diaz & Narayanamurti, Venkatesh, 2018. "Towards sustainability in water-energy nexus: Ocean energy for seawater desalination," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 82(P3), pages 3833-3847.
    7. Ariana M. Pietrasanta & Mostafa F. Shaaban & Pio A. Aguirre & Sergio F. Mussati & Mohamed A. Hamouda, 2023. "Simulation and Optimization of Renewable Energy-Powered Desalination: A Bibliometric Analysis and Highlights of Recent Research," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-28, June.
    8. Mokri, Alaeddine & Aal Ali, Mona & Emziane, Mahieddine, 2013. "Solar energy in the United Arab Emirates: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 28(C), pages 340-375.
    9. Zhang, Weiping & Maleki, Akbar, 2022. "Modeling and optimization of a stand-alone desalination plant powered by solar/wind energies based on back-up systems using a hybrid algorithm," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 254(PC).
    10. Li, Chennan & Goswami, Yogi & Stefanakos, Elias, 2013. "Solar assisted sea water desalination: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 19(C), pages 136-163.
    11. Ihsan Ullah & Mohammad G. Rasul, 2018. "Recent Developments in Solar Thermal Desalination Technologies: A Review," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-31, December.
    12. Esmaeil Ahmadi & Benjamin McLellan & Seiichi Ogata & Behnam Mohammadi-Ivatloo & Tetsuo Tezuka, 2020. "An Integrated Planning Framework for Sustainable Water and Energy Supply," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-37, May.
    13. Ewaoche John Okampo & Nnamdi Nwulu & Pitshou N. Bokoro, 2022. "Economic and Reliability Assessment of Hybrid PRO-RO Desalination Systems Using Brine for Salinity Gradient Energy Production," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-16, March.
    14. Lee, Sangkeum & Cho, Hong-Yeon & Har, Dongsoo, 2018. "Operation optimization with jointly controlled modules powered by hybrid energy source: A case study of desalination," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 81(P2), pages 3070-3080.
    15. Tawalbeh, Muhammad & Al-Othman, Amani & Abdelwahab, Noun & Alami, Abdul Hai & Olabi, Abdul Ghani, 2021. "Recent developments in pressure retarded osmosis for desalination and power generation," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 138(C).
    16. Lawal, Dahiru U. & Qasem, Naef A.A., 2020. "Humidification-dehumidification desalination systems driven by thermal-based renewable and low-grade energy sources: A critical review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 125(C).
    17. Gang, Wu & Qichang, Yang & Hongfei, Zheng & Yi, Zhang & Hui, Fang & Rihui, Jin, 2019. "Direct utilization of solar linear Fresnel reflector on multi-effect eccentric horizontal tubular still with falling film," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 170(C), pages 170-184.
    18. Gonzalez, Alonso & Grágeda, Mario & Ushak, Svetlana, 2017. "Assessment of pilot-scale water purification module with electrodialysis technology and solar energy," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 206(C), pages 1643-1652.
    19. Fernandez-Gonzalez, C. & Dominguez-Ramos, A. & Ibañez, R. & Irabien, A., 2015. "Sustainability assessment of electrodialysis powered by photovoltaic solar energy for freshwater production," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 47(C), pages 604-615.
    20. Al Busaidi, Ahmed Said & Kazem, Hussein A & Al-Badi, Abdullah H & Farooq Khan, Mohammad, 2016. "A review of optimum sizing of hybrid PV–Wind renewable energy systems in oman," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 185-193.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:rensus:v:140:y:2021:i:c:s1364032121000095. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/600126/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.