Hybrid membrane process for water treatment: a short review

Water shortage is one of the most difficult issues confronting people all over the world. Rapid urbanization and water scarcity necessitate immediate action to improve sustainable water management without jeopardizing global socioeconomic growth. Thus, conventional water treatments are implemented for the purpose of eradicating various pollutants in wastewater. Traditional water treatment methods, whether in water treatment facilities or reverse osmosis (RO) plants, have run across a number of roadblocks that have significantly hampered their performance and efficiency. Integrating the membrane process with other remediation technologies in a hybrid process is a novel technique to improve contaminant extraction efficiency for our target streams. This process is termed the hybrid membrane process (HMP). On this aspect, this paper would highlight the benefits of using the HMP compared to conventional methodologies and their applications conducted in various sectors around the world. Some case studies are also reviewed illustrating its cost analysis in comparison to conventional methodologies accentuating the merits of using HMPs.