Desalination in Morocco from 2000 to 2024: evolution, technological advancement, and future trends — a PRISMA-guided review

Morocco is facing increasing water stress due to climate variability, population growth, agricultural demand, and uneven water-resource distribution. In response, seawater desalination has become an important component of the national water-security strategy. This review provides a PRISMA-guided synthesis of desalination development in Morocco between 2000 and 2024, based on Scopus-indexed literature. Of the 112 initially identified records, 55 studies were retained after screening, eligibility assessment, and quality appraisal. The synthesis shows that Moroccan desalination has evolved from small-scale municipal units toward large RO and SWRO systems. This shift is illustrated by the contrast between the early Tarfaya electrodialysis plant, with only 75 m³/day, and the Agadir–Chtouka Aït Baha SWRO project, reaching 275,000 m³/day. This expansion reflects a broader transition toward higher-capacity, RO-based infrastructure driven by scalability, energy performance, and cost reduction. Recent technological advances mainly focus on RO optimization through post-treatment, fouling control, predictive monitoring, and hybrid NF–RO configurations. At the same time, newer options such as membrane distillation, MCDI, and low-pressure RO remain at different levels of maturity. Renewable-energy integration, particularly through PV, wind, and CSP-assisted systems, is increasingly explored to reduce desalination’s energy burden. However, wider deployment remains constrained by capital cost, intermittency, and pilot-scale validation. Environmental studies also highlight brine discharge, salinity, boron, nutrient enrichment, and ecological monitoring as key challenges for sustainable expansion. Overall, Morocco has made clear progress in desalination deployment, but long-term sustainability will depend on lowering energy costs, improving brine management, and validating emerging technologies under real operating conditions.