Principles and applications of direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD): A comprehensive review

•DCMD technology has gained a tremendous amount of interest over the years.•Current research and recent applications of DCMD are reviewed in this paper.•Current issues such as membrane fouling and operating conditions are discussed.•Integration of DCMD with renewable energy such as solar energy is also presented.

In this paper, the current and most recent applications of direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) are discussed. Apart from its rapidly increasing use for the desalination of highly saline feed water, the DCMD is gradually becoming a preferred technology for produced water treatment, purification of groundwater, reclamation of industrial process water, removal of micropollutants from drinking water, juice concentration, and production of chemical products. The fundamentals of the DCMD and governing equations (from heat and mass transfer principles) that describe performance parameters are first explained. Current issues in the DCMD operations such as the influence of membrane type, membrane fouling, and operating conditions on the DCMD performance or productivity are also discussed in this paper. Hybrid systems and renewable energy integration with DCMD systems have been presented as viable solutions that would enhance the sustainability of the DCMD operations.

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