The scarcity of clean and safe water is one of the most perilous glitches faced by the world. The pure drinking water resources across the world are depleting progressively due to rapid industrialization and growth in population. The conceivable solution for this problem is converting the available seawater into pure drinking water through several techniques of desalination. In the stream of desalination, many prodigious endeavours are in evolution to increase the reliability of the process by cutting down the principal and maintenance costs. Among several desalination approaches, low-temperature thermal desalination (LTTD) is an intriguing and advancing trend in the desalination process by using low temperatures and pressures in a range similar to ambient temperatures and vacuum pressures. The LTTD technique is operated by taking the energy input from waste heat, thermoclines and renewable energy sources. However, the operating temperatures of the LTTD system are less than 50 °C. The development of this particular LTTD process driven by renewable energy sources has gone through various stages, based on the water-energy demands, environmental concerns and technological progressions. In this article, the historical developments of the LTTD process using several renewable and non-renewable energy sources have been reviewed. Finally, some future recommendations for further developments in this approach are discussed. This article paves the path for the researchers working in desalination to choose an appropriate LTTD approach that is more viable and sustainable than the conventional desalination systems.
Keywords: Desalination; Flash evaporation; Low temperature; Renewable energy; Thermal desalination; Vacuum distillation.
© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.