Prospects of nanocomposite membranes for water treatment by membrane distillation

Membrane distillation (MD) is a nonthermal separation process using a hydrophobic porous membrane. Due to its simple design and high efficiency, it is widely used for seawater desalination. In this chapter, the theory of mass and heat transfer through hydrophobic porous membranes, MD commonly used configurations, and essential parameters affecting the MD process are briefly presented. To improve the efficiency of the MD process, there is a high demand for the development of nanocomposite membranes with higher thermal and mechanical stabilities that are robust against fouling. Some selected research papers on nanocomposite membranes for the MD process are summarized to shed more light on the topic.