A humidification-dehumidification system comprising: a humidifier including a carrier-gas inlet and a carrier-gas outlet; a liquid inlet and a liquid outlet, wherein the liquid inlet is coupled with a liquid source; and a chamber in which liquid introduced from the liquid inlet can contact a carrier gas containing a condensable fluid in vapor phase that is introduced from the carrier-gas inlet in a counterflow arrangement and in which a portion of the liquid can vaporize into the carrier gas; a bubble-column vapor mixture condenser including at least a first stage including a carrier-gas inlet, a carrier-gas outlet and a chamber that contains a liquid bath in fluid communication with the carrier-gas inlet and the carrier-gas outlet, wherein the carrier-gas inlet of the condenser is in fluid communication with the carrier-gas outlet of the humidifier, wherein the carrier-gas outlet of the condenser is in fluid communication with the carrier-gas inlet of the humidifier, wherein the carrier-gas inlet of the condenser is a bubble generator positioned in contact with the liquid bath so that the carrier gas can bubble up through the liquid bath from the bubble generator, overcoming a hydrostatic head of the liquid bath, and wherein the carrier-gas outlet is positioned with an opening for carrier gas extraction above the liquid bath, the bubble-column vapor mixture condenser further comprising a conduit extending through the liquid bath in the chamber and coupled with the liquid source and with the liquid inlet of the humidifier to flow the liquid from the source, through the chamber of the condenser, where the liquid can be preheated by recovering energy from condensation, to the humidifier; and wherein the system further comprises a blower or a compressor configured to pump the carrier gas: from the humidifier's carrier gas outlet to the condenser's carrier gas inlet via a conduit, and through the bubble generator thereby enabling the carrier gas to bubble up through the liquid bath. a humidifier including a carrier-gas inlet and a carrier-gas outlet; a liquid inlet and a liquid outlet, wherein the liquid inlet is coupled with a liquid source; and a chamber in which liquid introduced from the liquid inlet can contact a carrier gas containing a condensable fluid in vapor phase that is introduced from the carrier-gas inlet in a counterflow arrangement and in which a portion of the liquid can vaporize into the carrier gas; a bubble-column vapor mixture condenser including at least a first stage including a carrier-gas inlet, a carrier-gas outlet and a chamber that contains a liquid bath in fluid communication with the carrier-gas inlet and the carrier-gas outlet, wherein the carrier-gas inlet of the condenser is in fluid communication with the carrier-gas outlet of the humidifier, wherein the carrier-gas outlet of the condenser is in fluid communication with the carrier-gas inlet of the humidifier, wherein the carrier-gas inlet of the condenser is a bubble generator positioned in contact with the liquid bath so that the carrier gas can bubble up through the liquid bath from the bubble generator, overcoming a hydrostatic head of the liquid bath, and wherein the carrier-gas outlet is positioned with an opening for carrier gas extraction above the liquid bath, the bubble-column vapor mixture condenser further comprising a conduit extending through the liquid bath in the chamber and coupled with the liquid source and with the liquid inlet of the humidifier to flow the liquid from the source, through the chamber of the condenser, where the liquid can be preheated by recovering energy from condensation, to the humidifier; and wherein the system further comprises a blower or a compressor configured to pump the carrier gas: from the humidifier's carrier gas outlet to the condenser's carrier gas inlet via a conduit, and through the bubble generator thereby enabling the carrier gas to bubble up through the liquid bath.