Zero-liquid discharge (ZLD) technology for resource recovery from wastewater: A review.

Water resources are becoming scarce meaning that reuse options are receiving more and more attention. In this perspective, zero-liquid discharge (ZLD) is considered as an emerging technique to minimize waste, recover resources, treat toxic industrial waste streams, and mitigate potential water quality impacts in receiving water streams. Although ZLD systems are capable of minimizing contamination of water sources and amplifying water supply, its industrial scale applications are restricted due to their high cost and intensive energy consumption. In ZLD systems, membrane-based technologies are an attractive future strategy for industrial wastewater reclamation. Therefore, this review examines why a greater focus on environmental protection and water security is leading to more widespread adoption of ZLD technology in various industries. We highlight existing ZLD processing schemes, including thermal and membrane-based processes, and discuss their limitations and potential solutions. We also investigated global application of ZLD systems for resource recovery from wastewater. Finally, we discuss the potential environmental impacts of ZLD technologies and provide some focus on future research needs.