Isothermal membrane-based air dehumidification: A comprehensive review

Isothermal membrane-based air dehumidification (IMAD), a recent emerged air dehumidification technology, separates the moisture from the humid air by using a selective membrane, through which only vapor molecules can transfer from the one side of the membrane at a high concentration to the other side at a low concentration. The IMAD process has superior performance potentially in energy and economic than other traditional dehumidification technologies. This paper comprehensively reviews the literature on IMAD including membrane characteristics, membrane configuration, membrane-related mass transport mechanism, and system design and operation, as well as the mass transfer modeling. State of the art in the IMAD is presented and finally the recommendations of future research are provided.