[en] Hybrid desalination systems that combine osmotic and thermal driving forces offer a promising route to improve water recovery and energy efficiency for high-salinity feedwaters where conventional processes face limitations. This study presents a comprehensive mathematical modeling framework and performance analysis of a hybrid forward osmosis–membrane distillation (FO-MD) system for seawater desalination. The novel contributions include: (1) a coupled heat, mass, and solute transport model that explicitly accounts for concentration polarization, temperature polarization, reverse salt flux, and their dynamic interactions through the draw solution loop; (2) a quantitative assessment of the synergistic regeneration effect, showing how MD maintains draw solution concentration and stabilizes FO performance over time; (3) systematic evaluation of parameter sensitivity to polarization effects; and (4) comparative energy analysis quantifying specific energy consumption relative to standalone processes. Model predictions were validated against published experimental data, showing good agreement for both FO and MD fluxes (R2 > 0.94). The MD flux increased from approximately 2–3 LMH at 30 °C to 17 LMH at 50 °C, confirming vapor pressure enhancement. FO water flux increased significantly with draw solution concentration from 0.2 to 1.1 M due to higher osmotic pressure differences. Time-dependent simulations of the integrated FO-MD system showed that MD regeneration reduces draw solution dilution by 60% compared to standalone FO, maintaining FO flux approximately 43% higher after 6 h of operation. Sensitivity analysis revealed that FO predictions are moderately sensitive to mass transfer coefficients (6–9% flux change for 20% parameter variation), while MD shows lower sensitivity to heat transfer coefficients (3–5%). Energy analysis indicates that FO-MD hybridization reduces thermal energy consumption by 15–40% compared to standalone MD, with specific energy consumption of 382 kWh/m3 (40.2 kWh/m3 primary energy equivalent) when using low-grade heat. The obtained results demonstrate that FO-MD hybridization enhances water recovery and operational stability compared to standalone processes, supporting its potential for energy-efficient desalination of high-salinity brines and industrial wastewaters where low-grade heat is available.
Disciplines :
Engineering, computing & technology: Multidisciplinary, general & others
Author, co-author :
Triki, Zakaria; Laboratory of Renewable Energies and Materials (LERM), University of Medea, Medea 26000, Algeria ; Laboratory of Biomaterials and Transport Phenomena (LBMPT), University of Medea, Medea 26000, Algeria
Fergani, Zineb; Laboratory of Renewable Energies and Materials (LERM), University of Medea, Medea 26000, Algeria
Tahraoui, Hichem; Laboratory of Biomaterials and Transport Phenomena (LBMPT), University of Medea, Medea 26000, Algeria
Moula, Nassim ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département des sciences biomédicales et précliniques > Méthodes expérimentales des animaux de laboratoire et éthique en expérimentation animale
Zhang, Jie ; School of Engineering, Merz Court, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU, UK
Amrane, Abdeltif ; Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Chimie de Rennes, CNRS, ISCR—UMR6226, University Rennes, F-35000 Rennes, France
Fadhilah, Farid; College of Engineering, Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University (IMSIU), Riyadh 11432, Saudi Arabia
Assadi, Amine Aymen ; College of Engineering, Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University (IMSIU), Riyadh 11432, Saudi Arabia
Language :
English
Title :
Modeling and Performance Analysis of a Hybrid Forward Osmosis–Membrane Distillation System for Seawater Desalination
Xu Y. Qiu Z. Chen J. Ma B. Zou W. Yang Z. Dai R. Orderly stacked 3D-nanohelices interlayer boosts performance of reverse osmosis membranes for effective water purification Energy Environ. Sustain. 2025 1 100003 10.1016/j.eesus.2025.02.001
Liu H. Liang L. Tian F. Xi X. Zhang Y. Zhang P. Cao X. Bai Y. Zhang C. Dong L. Scalable Preparation of Ultraselective and Highly Permeable Fully Aromatic Polyamide Nanofiltration Membranes for Antibiotic Desalination Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2024 63 e202402509 10.1002/anie.202402509 38588046
Liang Z. Bao S. Zhang W. Yan H. Duan B. Wang H. Super-Resolution Reconstruction of SMOS Sea Surface Salinity from Multivariate Satellite Observations Based on Deep Learning IEEE J. Sel. Top. Appl. Earth Obs. Remote Sens. 2025 18 24251 24266 10.1109/JSTARS.2025.3602684
Zheng Z. Wu R. Li Q. Wu X. Qiu D. Wang Z. Liu H. Water-resistant, flexible and transparent cellulose nanofibril film for exceptional oxygen-barrier performance under high humidity Carbohydr. Polymers 2026 378 124966 10.1016/j.carbpol.2026.124966
Werber J.R. Osuji C.O. Elimelech M. Materials for next-generation desalination and water purification membranes Nat. Rev. Mater. 2016 1 16018 10.1038/natrevmats.2016.18
Shaffer D.L. Werber J.R. Jaramillo H. Lin S. Elimelech M. Forward osmosis: Where are we now? Desalination 2015 356 271 284 10.1016/j.desal.2014.10.031
Sayed E.T. Olabi A.G. Elsaid K. Al Radi M. Alqadi R. Abdelkareem M.A. Recent progress in renewable energy based-desalination in the Middle East and North Africa MENA region J. Adv. Res. 2023 48 125 156 10.1016/j.jare.2022.08.016
El Younossi C. El Fadar A. Elaouzy Y. Comprehensive investigation of desalination technologies considering numerous plants worldwide Appl. Therm. Eng. 2025 278 127216 10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2025.127216
Al-Obaidi M.A. Zubo R.H. Rashid F.L. Dakkama H.J. Abd-Alhameed R. Mujtaba I.M. Evaluation of solar energy powered seawater desalination processes: A review Energies 2022 15 6562 10.3390/en15186562
Cath T.Y. Childress A.E. Elimelech M. Forward osmosis: Principles, applications, and recent developments J. Membr. Sci. 2006 281 70 87 10.1016/j.memsci.2006.05.048
Jeon J. Kim D. Kim S. Energy Efficient Forward Osmosis to Maximize Dewatering Rates Membranes 2025 15 171 10.3390/membranes15060171
Mohammadi Fakhr M. de Grooth J. Roesink H.D. Kemperman A.J. Forward osmosis: A critical review Processes 2020 8 404 10.3390/pr8040404
Xu Y. Zhu Y. Chen Z. Zhu J. Chen G. A comprehensive review on forward osmosis water treatment: Recent advances and prospects of membranes and draw solutes Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022 19 8215 10.3390/ijerph19138215
Villalobos García J. Dow N. Milne N. Zhang J. Naidoo L. Gray S. Duke M. Membrane distillation trial on textile wastewater containing surfactants using hydrophobic and hydrophilic-coated polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) membranes Membranes 2018 8 31 10.3390/membranes8020031
Alkhudhiri A. Darwish N. Hilal N. Membrane distillation: A comprehensive review Desalination 2012 287 2 18 10.1016/j.desal.2011.08.027
Suleman M. Al-Rudainy B. Lipnizki F. Overcoming the Limitations of Forward Osmosis and Membrane Distillation in Sustainable Hybrid Processes Managing the Water–Energy Nexus Membranes 2025 15 162 10.3390/membranes15060162
Nawaz M.S. Alamoudi T. Soukane S. Son H.S. Jin Y. Medina S.C. Mustakeem M. Gudideni V. Al-Qahtani A. Ghaffour N. Performance and implications of forward osmosis-membrane distillation hybrid system for simultaneous treatment of different real produced water streams Chem. Eng. J. 2022 450 138479 10.1016/j.cej.2022.138479
Zhou Y. Huang M. Deng Q. Cai T. Combination and performance of forward osmosis and membrane distillation (FO-MD) for treatment of high salinity landfill leachate Desalination 2017 420 99 105 10.1016/j.desal.2017.06.027
Lu D. Liu Q. Zhao Y. Liu H. Ma J. Treatment and energy utilization of oily water via integrated ultrafiltration-forward osmosis–membrane distillation (UF-FO-MD) system J. Membr. Sci. 2018 548 275 287 10.1016/j.memsci.2017.11.004
Mat Nawi N.I. Bilad M.R. Anath G. Nordin N.A.H. Kurnia J.C. Wibisono Y. Arahman N. The water flux dynamic in a hybrid forward osmosis-membrane distillation for produced water treatment Membranes 2020 10 225 10.3390/membranes10090225
Lewis G.N. The osmotic pressure of concentrated solutions, and the laws of the perfect solution J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1908 30 668 683 10.1021/ja01947a002
Yip N.Y. Tiraferri A. Phillip W.A. Schiffman J.D. Hoover L.A. Kim Y.C. Elimelech M. Thin-Film Composite Pressure Retarded Osmosis Membranes for Sustainable Power Generation from Salinity Gradients Environ. Sci. Technol. 2011 45 4360 4369 10.1021/es104325z
Belkessa N. Assadi A.A. Bouzaza A. Nguyen-Tri P. Amrane A. Khezami L. A review of non-thermal plasma-catalysis: The mutual influence and sources of synergetic effect for boosting volatile organic compounds removal Environ. Res. 2024 257 119333 10.1016/j.envres.2024.119333
Nagy E. A general, resistance-in-series, salt- and water flux models for forward osmosis and pressure-retarded osmosis for energy generation J. Membr. Sci. 2014 460 71 81 10.1016/j.memsci.2014.02.021
She Q. Wang R. Fane A.G. Tang C.Y. Membrane fouling in osmotically driven membrane processes: A review J. Membr. Sci. 2016 499 201 233 10.1016/j.memsci.2015.10.040
Ibrar I. Yadav S. Naji O. Alanezi A.A. Ghaffour N. Déon S. Subbiah S. Altaee A. Development in forward Osmosis-Membrane distillation hybrid system for wastewater treatment Sep. Purif. Technol. 2022 286 120498 10.1016/j.seppur.2022.120498
Khayet M. Membranes and theoretical modeling of membrane distillation: A review Adv. Colloid Interface Sci. 2011 164 56 88 10.1016/j.cis.2010.09.005
Sharqawy M.H. Lienhard J.H. Zubair S.M. Thermophysical properties of seawater: A review of existing correlations and data Desalin. Water Treat. 2010 16 354 380
Field R.W. Wu H.Y. Wu J.J. Multiscale Modeling of Membrane Distillation: Some Theoretical Considerations Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 2013 52 8822 8828 10.1021/ie302363e
Zohrabian L. Hankins N.P. Field R.W. Hybrid forward osmosis-membrane distillation system: Demonstration of technical feasibility J. Water Process Eng. 2020 33 101042
Igwe G.J.I. Gas Transport Mechanism and Slippage Phenomenon in Porous Media Paper SPE 16479 Present at the SPE Conference Society of Petroleum Engineers Richardson, TX, USA 1987
Bird R.B. Stewart W.E. Lightfoot E.N. Transport Phenomena 2nd ed. John Wiley & Sons Hoboken, NJ, USA 2002
Manawi Y.M. Khraisheh M. Fard A.K. Benyahia F. Adham S. Effect of operational parameters on distillate flux in direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD): Comparison between experimental and model predicted performance Desalination 2014 336 110 120 10.1016/j.desal.2014.01.003
Findley M.E. Tanna V.V. Rao Y.B. Yeh C.L. Mass and heat transfer relations in evaporation through porous membranes AIChE J. 1969 15 483 489 10.1002/aic.690150404
Pabby A.K. Rizvi S.S. Requena A.M.S. Handbook of Membrane Separations: Chemical, Pharmaceutical, Food, and Biotechnological Applications CRC Press Boca Raton, FL, USA 2015
Khayet M. Velázquez A. Mengual J.I. Modelling mass transport through a porous partition: Effect of pore size distribution J. Non-Equilib. Thermodyn. 2004 29 279 299 10.1515/JNETDY.2004.055
Xia L. Andersen M.F. Hélix-Nielsen C. McCutcheon J.R. Novel commercial aquaporin flat-sheet membrane for forward osmosis Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 2017 56 11919 11925 10.1021/acs.iecr.7b02368
Membrane Solutions 2019 Available online: https://www.membrane-solutions.com (accessed on 8 January 2026)
Iversen S.B. Bhatia V.K. Dam-Johansen K. Jonsson G. Characterization of microporous membranes for use in membrane contactors J. Membr. Sci. 1997 130 205 217 10.1016/S0376-7388(97)00026-4
Kim Y. Li S. Francis L. Li Z. Linares R.V. Alsaadi A.S. Abu-Ghdaib M. Son H.S. Amy G. Ghaffour N. Osmotically and thermally isolated forward osmosis-membrane distillation (FO–MD) integrated module Environ. Sci. Technol. 2019 53 3488 3498 10.1021/acs.est.8b05587
Gryta M. Tomaszewska M. Heat transport in the membrane distillation process J. Membr. Sci. 1998 144 211 222 10.1016/S0376-7388(98)00050-7
Phuntsho S. Vigneswaran S. Kandasamy J. Hong S. Lee S. Shon H.K. Influence of temperature and temperature difference in the performance of forward osmosis desalination process J. Membr. Sci. 2012 415 734 744 10.1016/j.memsci.2012.05.065
Chowdhury M.R. McCutcheon J.R. Elucidating the impact of temperature gradients across membranes during forward osmosis: Coupling heat and mass transfer models for better prediction of real osmotic systems J. Membr. Sci. 2018 553 189 199 10.1016/j.memsci.2018.01.004
Anh-Vu N. Nomura Y. Hidaka T. Fujiwara T. Forward osmosis membrane process: A review of temperature effects on system performance and membrane parameters from experimental studies J. Environ. Chem. Eng. 2024 12 113429 10.1016/j.jece.2024.113429
Ricci B. Skibinski B. Koch K. Mancel C. Celestino C. Cunha I. Silva Alvim C. Faria C. Andrade L. Lange L. et al. Critical performance assessment of a submerged hybrid forward osmosis—Membrane distillation system Desalination 2019 468 114082 10.1016/j.desal.2019.114082
