Challenges and opportunities for electro-driven desalination processes in sustainable applications

Electro-driven separation processes offer several potential advantages over pressure-driven separation processes such as reverse osmosis for water reuse and desalination, including energy savings for low-salinity waters, cation or anion selectivity, and versatility for fit-for-purpose treatment. In this perspective, we review technologies for electro-driven separation processes and evaluate their prospect for marginalized water sources and fit-for-purpose water treatment, which include improving freshwater sustainability, protecting environmental flows, and improving recycling of industrial process streams and municipal wastewater reuse. We discuss critical aspects related to application, implementation, and techno-economic evaluation of electro-driven separation technologies. Electro-driven processes provide viable options to enhance a circular water economy by reducing salinity and selectively separating contaminants while recovering valuable products with increased environmental sustainability.