Water is a necessary resource for life development. Its excessive consumption has a negative impact, generating scarcity problems worldwide. Desalination is an alternative to solve these problems; its objective is to reduce the concentration of total dissolved solids to levels suitable for consumption. The most widely used desalination technology is reverse osmosis, which works by means of semipermeable membranes; however, lack of knowledge or wrong operation cause phenomena such as concentration polarization, which reduces the effective area for mass transfer in the membrane, increasing the energy consumption of the process. The objective of the present study is to evaluate the concentration polarization (β) of the concentration in reverse osmosis membranes by varying the temperature in the feed water (23, 25.5, 28, and 35 °C) for different concentrations (5000 and 10,000 mg L⁻¹) in order to reduce its impact on energy consumption (kWh m⁻³). The results show that as the temperature increases, the specific energy consumption decreases for both concentrations. In the 5000 mg L⁻¹ tests, the specific energy consumption decreased by 0.590 kWh m⁻³, representing 12.5%. For 10,000 mg L⁻¹ tests, the specific energy consumption shows a reduction of 0.72 kWh m⁻³, which represents a percentage decrease of 14.54%.

This research paper presents a review of the state of the art of desalination in Mexico, with the aim of clarifying the main challenges and opportunity areas for desalination as the main solution to overcome water stress. First, the current situation and forecasts on the availability of water resources in Mexico are described, followed by the main economic, social, and legislative issues of desalination. Mexico’s installed capacity for the different desalination technologies and their evolution in recent years was investigated, followed by a comparison with global trends. The current state of research and development in desalination technologies carried out by Mexican institutions was also studied. The results show that membrane technology plants account for 88.85%, while thermal technology plants account for the remaining 11.15%. Although Mexico presented a 240% increase in its desalination capacity in the last 10 years, it has not been enough to overcome water stress, so it is concluded that in the future, it is necessary to increase its capacity in greater proportion, specifically in the areas with greater scarcity, which can be achieved with the joint participation of academy–industry–government through the creation of autonomous organizations, social programs, and/or public policies that promote it.

This work presents a novel trigeneration system for the simultaneous production of desalinated water, electrical energy, and cooling, addressing the challenges of water scarcity and climate change through an integrated and efficient approach. The proposed system combines an 8-stage Multi Stage Flash Distillation (MSF) process with a 6-effect Multiple Effect Distillation (MED) process, complemented by an expander-generator to optimize steam utilization. Cooling production is achieved through a dual ejectocondensation mechanism, which enhances energy recovery and expands operational flexibility. The system’s performance was analyzed using Aspen Plus simulations, demonstrating technical feasibility across a broad operating range: 28.3 to 0.8 kPa and 68 to 4 °C. In cogeneration mode, the system achieves a Performance Ratio (PR) of 12.06 and a Recovery Ratio (RR) of 54%, producing 67,219.2 L/day of desalinated water and reducing electrical consumption by 12.03%. In trigeneration mode, it achieves a PR of 17.81 and an RR of 80%, with a cooling capacity of 1225 kW, generating 99,273.6 L/day of desalinated water while reducing electrical consumption by 3.69%. These results underscore the system’s capability to significantly enhance the efficiency and capacity of thermal desalination technologies, offering a sustainable and high-performing solution for coastal communities worldwide.

In this work, the analysis of a hybrid LiBr/H₂O absorption-cooling and flash-desalination system, using solar thermal energy as heat source, is presented. An absorption open-cycle with three pressure levels is used in combination with a single-stage flash-desalination process to use the coolant as product water, resulting in an increase in cooling and desalination efficiency. For the application, a 20-room coastal hotel complex in San Felipe, Baja California, Mexico, is taken as a case study and the sizing of the solar collection and storage system is carried out for the operation of the proposed hybrid system, during the summer operative period. The operational dynamics during the week with the highest ambient temperatures are presented. The dimensioning of the solar collector’s area and the energy storage resulted in a collection area of 620 m² with 30 m³, respectively, reaching a solar fraction of 69%. The absorption-cooling subprocess showed an increase of 13.88% in the average coefficient of performance (COP) compared to conventional LiBr/H₂O absorption systems. Also, considering that the system provides cooling and desalination simultaneously, the average COP_G is 1.64, which is 2.27 times higher than the COP of conventional LiBr/H₂O single-effect absorption units. During the critical week, the system presented a desalinated water production of 16.94 m³ with an average performance ratio (PR) of 0.83, while the average daily water production was 2406 kg/day; enough to satisfy the daily water requirements of four people in a coastal hotel in Mexico or to cover the basic services of 24 people according to the World Health Organization.

This work presents an innovative tri-generation system for the simultaneous production of desalinated water, electrical energy, and cooling, aimed at addressing the growing challenges of water scarcity and climate change. The system integrates an 8-stage MSF process and a 6-effect MED process, along with an expander-generator that improves cycle efficiency by utilizing and reintroducing steam within the desalination stages. A parametric study was conducted using ASPEN PLUS to evaluate the system’s performance. The analysis showed that the system operates over a broader pressure and temperature range than conventional MED systems, from 28.3 to 0.8 kPa and from 68 to 4°C, thanks to a dual ejector-condensation process. In cogeneration mode, the system achieves a PR of 12.06 and an RR of 54%0.54, producing 67,219.2 L/day of desalinated water and reducing electrical consumption by 12.03%. In tri-generation mode, it achieves a PR of 17.81 and an RR of 0.80%, with a cooling capacity of 1225 kW (COP of 3.278), producing 99,273.6 L/day of desalinated water while reducing electrical consumption by 3.69%. This system offers an efficient solution to meet the growing water and energy needs of coastal communities, combining water desalination, energy production, and cooling in a single integrated process.