Solar and waste heat driving distillation, 98% recovery on high salinity.
Sponsored researchIn developmentSupplier
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Updated Sept 23, 2026
Desalination systems covers taking salt out of water at a cost someone will pay. On Halo, the solutions cover thermal desalination on waste heat and sun, electrochemical and membrane-free routes, membranes under pressure and scale, and powering the plant. Sign up to search the full network and post your specific need.
Thermal desalination on waste heat and sun
Clean and Sustainable Energy System PTY LTD
Multi-stage vacuum distillation on facility waste heat, at near-zero emissions.
Co-developmentIn developmentStartup
Hollow fibers inside solar evacuated tubes, mounted on a rooftop.
Co-developmentIn developmentUniversity
SC
University of Cincinnati
Nanotube sheets heat the interface, so no axial temperature gradient forms.
Co-developmentConceptualUniversity
Resonant heat exchange between countercurrent air and water, and no membrane.
Sponsored researchIn developmentUniversity
Electrochemical and membrane-free routes
JL
3D electrodes reach 95% demineralization in 100 minutes, against five hours.
Sponsored researchIn developmentSupplier
JH
Washington University in St. Louis
Capacitive deionization on porous carbon fiber, with no membrane to foul.
Sponsored researchConceptualUniversity
GM
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Electrodes from corn stover and switchgrass, at a third of the usual cost.
Sponsored researchIn developmentUniversity
SR
PhytoCentric Solutions LLC
A biofilm from lung surfactant attracts salt at a tenth of the energy.
Sponsored researchIn developmentStartup
Membranes under pressure and scale
EH
University of California, Los Angeles
Addresses the support layer compaction that costs conventional RO half its flux.
Pilot or trial engagementIn developmentUniversity
DJ
University of California, Los Angeles
Alternating potentials mix ions at the surface so scale cannot nucleate.
Sponsored researchIn developmentUniversity
Powering the plant
Nova Southeastern University
Second-life EV batteries paired with reverse osmosis, running off-grid.
Sponsored researchConceptualUniversity
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Who is working on desalination systems
Organizations in desalination systems
Universities, startups, and suppliers with solutions in water desalination.
Water desalination organizations
Innovators in desalination systems
Researchers and inventors advancing water desalination.
Water desalination expertsAbout desalination systems
Energy is the whole argument on Halo. Five entries run distillation on solar energy or waste heat, four remove the membrane or the pressure entirely, and the two membrane entries address the compaction and scaling that cost a conventional plant its performance. On Halo it spans four groups, including thermal desalination on waste heat and sun, electrochemical and membrane-free routes, and membranes under pressure and scale.
Stage of development. Work on desalination systems on Halo comes mostly from university programs. 41% of the solutions are in market. Co-development and pilot engagements are the usual partnering routes, and about 60% of the solutions that state terms offer sponsored research.
Three trends in water desalination on Halo
Heat is cheaper than pressure where the water is. Five entries run thermal distillation and every one names a free energy source: solar evacuated tubes, facility waste heat, solar thermal with PV, and nanotube sheets heating the membrane interface directly. A sixth drops the membrane entirely and recovers heat resonantly between countercurrent air and water flows.
Removing the membrane, or the fouling. Capacitive deionization on porous carbon fiber and a resonant exchange system both work with no membrane at all, and the two membrane entries attack the failure modes, not the separation: support layer compaction that costs conventional RO half its permeability, and mineral scale stopped by mixing ions electrokinetically before they nucleate.
Cost of the electrode, not the process. Two entries compete on materials cost alone. Activated carbon pyrolyzed from corn stover, cobs, wood chips and switchgrass at roughly a third the price of conventional, and second-life EV batteries put behind a reverse osmosis unit to make it grid-independent. Neither changes the separation; both change whether it can be afforded.
132organizations
135solutions listed
62%from university labs
41%in market
Frequently asked questions
What is water desalination?
Desalination systems covers taking salt out of water at a cost someone will pay. It spans thermal distillation driven by solar energy or industrial waste heat, electrochemical and membrane-free routes that avoid the fouling problem altogether, membranes engineered for the pressure and scale they meet, and the power supply that decides whether a plant can run off-grid. Utilities, industrial operators and off-grid communities are the buyers.
What are examples of water desalination?
Four examples of water desalination solutions on Halo include:
- Solar and waste heat driving distillation, 98% recovery on high salinity. (SolMem LLC)
- 3D electrodes reach 95% demineralization in 100 minutes, against five hours. (Pani Clean, Inc.)
- Addresses the support layer compaction that costs conventional RO half its flux. (University of California, Los Angeles)
- Second-life EV batteries paired with reverse osmosis, running off-grid. (Nova Southeastern University)
What are the latest water desalination innovations?
The most recently updated water desalination solutions on Halo include:
Which companies and suppliers are developing water desalination?
There are 132 organizations with water desalination solutions on Halo, 28 of them universities and research institutions. Among them are SolMem LLC, Clean and Sustainable Energy System PTY LTD, and UNSW Sydney. Most offer co-development or pilot engagements. Sign up to see every organization working in the area and to send them your specific need.
How do I find water desalination research partners?
Browsing water desalination solutions on Halo is free. Sign up to search the full network and save the ones you want. Post your specific need to get exact matches. Organizations reply directly on the platform.
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