Clean water production – A content and bibliometric review of two decades of research on green membranes for desalination

Abstract

This study presents a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of research trends and developments in green membranes for desalination from 2000 to 2023. Biblioshiny, an R-based tool, and the VOSviewer software were employed to analyze data from 205 publications, revealing a rapidly growing field with a 20 % annual growth rate. The analysis identified key research topics, including membrane distillation, nanofiltration, reverse osmosis, forward osmosis, emerging trends in sustainable materials, renewable energy integration, and anti-fouling strategies as the main themes of interest. Researchers were found to be exploring hybrid desalination systems combining graphene membranes with forward osmosis or carbon nanotubes for increased efficiency, incorporating renewable energy sources and improving systems for recovering energy. Further research should focus on mass production of ionic liquids, process optimization, thermal system design with waste heat or renewable energy integration, and bringing direct solvent extraction closer to practical deployment. The study offers insightful information into the evolving field of green membrane research for desalination, highlighting potential future directions and collaborative opportunities.