CIEMAT Publications

Abstract

Water is an essential element for life. Three-fourths of the planet's surface is covered with water, but 97% is salty water contained in the seas and oceans. The low percentage of freshwater (3%) existing on earth along with population growth, global warming, etc. has led to the current major global water crisis. Desalination is developed as one of the promising solutions to solve this challenge for years. The separation of salts from seawater, however, requires large amounts of energy which, when produced from fossil fuels, can increase the environmental pollution and thus the climate problems of the earth. Therefore, there is a need to employ environmental-friendly energy sources, such as renewables, in order to desalinate seawater. The objective of this study is to carry out the identification and deep analysis of recent scientific publications and new patent applications in the field, as well as to establish the main worldwide players and their activity areas in order to determine the state of the art of the research and innovation in seawater desalination technologies powered by renewable energy sources