Emerging technologies present many new possibilities for diversifying the desalination industry, which is currently dominated by thermal desalination, and reverse osmosis. In this review, we highlight recent developments in emerging desalination technologies, focusing on those nearing commercialization i.e. forward osmosis and membrane distillation, as well as electrochemical processes that hold potential for technological maturity and upscaling. Literature shows that emerging desalination technologies have benefited greatly from advances in nanomaterials. However, a membrane-based approach alone will not realize commercialization of forward osmosis or membrane distillation. In the case of forward osmosis, appropriate selection of draw solute as well as low-cost recovery of the draw solution towards low energy consumption will be important in full-scale commercialization. In membrane distillation, use of low-grade heat as well as hybrid systems driven by renewable energy sources are likely to facilitate growth. We also review advances in smart process monitoring and control through innovative in situ methods that can further lower operational costs associated with manual sampling and frequent membrane replacement, particularly in membrane distillation. Furthermore, breakthroughs in desalination batteries to remove salt ions using high capacity battery materials may lead to the revival of electrochemical processes for seawater desalination as well as niche desalination applications. Future work should be geared towards optimization of system design and economic assessment of upscaling.

新兴技术为海水淡化行业的多样化提供了许多新的可能性，目前海水淡化和反渗透占主导地位。在这篇评论中，我们重点介绍了新兴海水淡化技术的最新发展，重点关注那些接近商业化的技术，即正向渗透和膜蒸馏，以及具有技术成熟和升级潜力的电化学过程。文献表明，新兴的海水淡化技术极大地受益于纳米材料的进步。然而，仅基于膜的方法不会实现正向渗透或膜蒸馏的商业化。在正向渗透的情况下，appropriate selection of draw solute as well as low-cost recovery of the draw solution towards low energy consumption will be important in full-scale commercialization. 在膜蒸馏中，使用低品位热量以及由可再生能源驱动的混合系统可能会促进增长。我们还通过创新的原位方法回顾了智能过程监测和控制方面的进展，这些方法可以进一步降低与手动采样和频繁更换膜相关的运营成本，尤其是在膜蒸馏方面。此外，使用高容量电池材料去除盐离子的脱盐电池的突破可能会导致海水淡化的电化学过程以及利基海水淡化应用的复兴。