Comments on Effect of Salts on TBAB Semi Clathrate Hydrate Formation: Application to Produced Water Desalination

In the paper titled Effect of Salts on TBAB Semi Clathrate Hydrate Formation: Application to Produced Water Desalination by Aziz Alhejaili, Ponnivalavan Babu, and Nagu Daraboina [Energy Fuels 2020, 34 (10), 12810-12821, DOI: 10.1021/ acs.energyfuels.0c02091], the authors emphasized the possibility of tetra-n-butylammonium bromide (TBAB) semiclathrate hydrate desalination and concluded that TBAB hydrate formation is a favorable means of desalination in comparison to ice, suggesting the thermodynamic effectiveness of TBAB as a hydrate former. However, there is some incorrect and missing points, which led to the wrong analysis. The possible effect of other co-existing anions to form different semiclathrates was not considered.

Automated summary

The paper examined the desalination application of TBAB semiclathrate hydrates, concluding that TBAB hydrate formation is a favorable method for desalination, but failed to consider the possible effects of other co-existing anions.