Exploration of time series model for predictive evaluation of long-term performance of membrane distillation desalination

•The analysis and forecasting of permeate quality are required to prevent serious water quality degradation in future.•ARIMA time series model was applied to forecast the membrane wetting in MD.•AIC, BIC and RMSE criteria were utilized for analyzing forecasting results.•Outcomes of time series modeling is capable of forecasting membrane wetting/fouling and needs managerial actions.