Study on the operational performance for low-temperature high-salt wastewater desalination by the air-bubbling method

In this study, an air-bubbling humidifier, a dehumidifier (also referred to as an open-air HD system) and a closed-air HD system for desalting high-salt wastewater were designed and constructed. Experimental tests and analyses of these desalination systems were conducted under different operating parameters. The results showed that for the closed-air HD system, the recommended evaporation temperature and the condensate solution temperature are 50–80 and 20–40 °C, respectively. The system achieved a maximum energy recovery rate of 24.55% and a minimum specific vapor consumption ratio (SVCR) of 0.756. In addition, the air-bubbling closed-air HD system was proven effective in treating high-salt wastewater, with the electrical conductivity of the condensate solution reaching a maximum of 670.22 μS/cm. This study demonstrates that the air-bubbling HD system has great potential for high-salt wastewater treatment without requiring an indirect contact heat exchanger.