Highly efficient forward osmosis based on porous membranes--applications and implications.
For the first time, forward osmosis (FO) was performed using a porous membrane with an ultrafiltration (UF)-like rejection layer and its feasibility for high performance FO filtration was demonstrated. Compared to traditional FO membranes with dense rejection layers, the UF-like FO membrane was 2 orders of magnitude more permeable. This gave rise to respectable FO water flux even at ultralow osmotic driving force, for example, 7.6 L/m(2).h at an osmotic pressure of merely 0.11 bar (achieved by using a 0.1% poly(sodium 4-styrene-sulfonate) draw solution). The membrane was applied to oil/water separation, and a highly stable FO water flux was achieved. The adoption of porous FO membranes opens a door to many new opportunities, with potential applications ranging from wastewater treatment, valuable product recovery, and biomedical applications. The potential applications and implications of porous FO membranes are addressed in this paper.
†School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798.|‡Singapore Membrane Technology Centre, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798.
Saren
S
Qi
†School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798.|‡Singapore Membrane Technology Centre, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798.
Ye
Y
Li
†School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798.|‡Singapore Membrane Technology Centre, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798.
Yang
Y
Zhao
†School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798.|‡Singapore Membrane Technology Centre, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798.
Weiyi
W
Li
§Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam HW619B, Hong Kong.
Chuyang Y
CY
Tang
D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005374:Filtration; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D009995:Osmosis; D009997:Osmotic Pressure; D016062:Porosity; D012996:Solutions; D014462:Ultrafiltration; D062065:Wastewater; D014867:Water; D018508:Water Purification / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*
D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D012996:Solutions; D062065:Wastewater; D014867:Water