Desalination of seawater by humidification and dehumidification (HDH) technology was discussed at a seminar held in Abu Dhabi on 27 October 2011.
Masdar Institute of Science & Technology hosted the event as part of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Energy Initiative (MITEI) Distinguished Lecture Series.
Dr John Leinhard, deputy director, MITEI, and Chevron Professor of Chemical Engineering at MIT, told the workshop that work at MIT and other institutions to make HDH a low-cost desalination option might yield easier access to potable water for communities across the world.
HDH desalination is a distillation technology that operates using air as a carrier gas to carry water evaporated from a heated seawater feed to a chamber where the water is condensed in a clean form. The carrier gas is recycled to complete the humidification and dehumidification cycle.
Leinhard’s lecture covered serious issues in worldwide water supply and highlighted desalination as a solution. His work has investigated the thermodynamic performance aspects of a wide variety of HDH configurations.