Microbial desalination cell: Desalination through conserving energy
Zahid M. Savla N. Pandit S. Thakur V.K. Jung S.P. Gupta P.K. Prasad R. Marsili E.
1 January 2022Elsevier B.V.
Desalination
2022#521
The increased requirement of potable water led to the development of efficient desalination technologies such as reverse osmosis membranes, which are currently mass-manufactured. However, other approaches are being explored, as emerging countries contribute to the global demand for drinking water. Microbial desalination cells (MDC), in which microbial consortia use chemical energy to remove ions from low-salinity aqueous solutions, have been investigated for some time but the actual relevance of this technology in the overall desalination industry remains unclear. pH maintenance on the cathodic side, internal resistance along with membrane fouling and its longevity are some technical shortcomings related to the practical use of MDCs, which can be partially circumvented by using multiple interconnected configurations. Further research is required to scale up the MDC technology while decreasing its cost and environmental impact. This review summarizes the operative principle of MDCs, the most common MDC cells configurations, and describes the variables that influence their performance in light of full-scale applications. A techno-economic analysis and lifecycle assessment of microbial desalination systems is also included, along with the description of electrode fabrication and genetic manipulation strategies that can improve the MDC cells performance.
Microbial desalination cells , Microbial Reverse Electrodialysis Cells , Osmotic microbial desalination cells
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Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University, Mumbai, India
Department of Life Sciences, School of Basic Sciences and Research, Sharda University, Greater Noida, 201306, India
Biorefining and Advanced Materials Research Centre, Scotlands Rural College, Edinburgh, EH9 3JG, Scotland, United Kingdom
School of Engineering, University of Petroleum & Energy Studies (UPES), Dehradun, 248007, India
Department of Environment and Energy Engineering, Chonnam National University, Gwangju, 61186, South Korea
Department of Botany, Mahatma Gandhi Central University, Motihari, 845401, Bihar, India
Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, Nazarbayev University, Nur-Sultan, 010000, Kazakhstan
Amity Institute of Biotechnology
Department of Life Sciences
Biorefining and Advanced Materials Research Centre
School of Engineering
Department of Environment and Energy Engineering
Department of Botany
Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering
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