Fiber-Based Membrane Distillation for Desalination and Wastewater

Water scarcity is becoming one of the biggest issues for humanity, as the countries under water stress are continuously increasing. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a wise management of available water sources, as well as of implementing a recycling strategy of wastewater. Often, wastewater contains useful compounds that can be concentrated/recovered during the treatment, with further benefits from an economic point of view. Another source of fresh water can be obtained from the sea, by applying desalination technologies. The aim of this chapter is to report about the efficiency of membrane distillation for the treatment of both wastewater and seawater. In particular, results obtained with polymeric fibers, both commercial and lab made, are presented and discussed.