Performance limiting effects in power generation from salinity gradients by pressure retarded osmosis

Pressure retarded osmosis has the potential to utilize the free energy of mixing when fresh river water flows into the sea for clean and renewable power generation. Here, we present a systematic investigation of the performance limiting phenomena in pressure retarded osmosis--external concentration polarization, internal concentration polarization, and reverse draw salt flux--and offer insights on the design criteria of a high performance pressure retarded osmosis power generation system. Thin-film composite polyamide membranes were chemically modified to produce a range of membrane transport properties, and the water and salt permeabilities were characterized to determine the underlying permeability-selectivity trade-off relationship. We show that power density is constrained by the trade-off between permeability and selectivity of the membrane active layer. This behavior is attributed to the opposing influence of the beneficial effect of membrane water permeability and the detrimental impact of reverse salt flux coupled with internal concentration polarization. Our analysis reveals the intricate influence of active and support layer properties on power density and demonstrates that membrane performance is maximized by tailoring the water and salt permeabilities to the structural parameters. An analytical parameter that quantifies the relative influence of each performance limiting phenomena is employed to identify the dominant effect restricting productivity. External concentration polarization is shown to be the main factor limiting performance at high power densities. Enhancement of the hydrodynamic flow conditions in the membrane feed channel reduces external concentration polarization and thus, yields improved power density. However, doing so will also incur additional operating costs due to the accompanying hydraulic pressure loss. This study demonstrates that by thoughtful selection of the membrane properties and hydrodynamic conditions, the detrimental effects that limit productivity in a pressure retarded osmosis power generation process can be methodically minimized to achieve high performance.     

Adverse impact of feed channel spacers on the performance of pressure retarded osmosis

This article analyzes the influence of feed channel spacers on the performance of pressure retarded osmosis (PRO). Unlike forward osmosis (FO), an important feature of PRO is the application of hydraulic pressure on the high salinity (draw solution) side to retard the permeating flow for energy conversion. We report the first observation of membrane deformation under the action of the high hydraulic pressure on the feed channel spacer and the resulting impact on membrane performance. Because of this observation, reverse osmosis and FO tests that are commonly used for measuring membrane transport properties (water and salt permeability coefficients, A and B, respectively) and the structural parameter (S) can no longer be considered appropriate for use in PRO analysis. To accurately predict the water flux as a function of applied hydraulic pressure difference and the resulting power density in PRO, we introduced a new experimental protocol that accounts for membrane deformation in a spacer-filled channel to determine the membrane properties (A, B, and S). PRO performance model predictions based on these determined A, B, and S values closely matched experimental data over a range of draw solution concentrations (0.5 to 2 M NaCl). We also showed that at high pressures feed spacers block the permeation of water through the membrane area in contact with the spacer, a phenomenon that we term the shadow effect, thereby reducing overall water flux. The implications of the results for power generation by PRO are evaluated and discussed.     

Performance of forward (direct) osmosis process: membrane structure and transport phenomenon

The performance of a forward (direct) osmosis (FO) process was investigated using a laboratory-scale unit to elucidate the effect of membrane structure and orientation on waterflux. Two types of RO membrane and a FO membrane were tested using ammonium bicarbonate, glucose, and fructose as the draw solution to extract water from a saline feed solution. The FO membrane was able to achieve higher water flux than the RO membranes under the same experimental conditions while maintaining high salt rejection of greater than 97%. Increasing operating temperature increased the water flux in FO process. To investigate the effect of membrane orientation on water flux, the FO membrane was tested normally (dense selective layer facing draw solution) and reversely (dense selective layer facing feed solution). Explanations on transport phenomenon in FO process were proposed which explain the observation that the FO membrane, when used in the normal orientation, performed better due to lesser internal concentration polarization. This study suggests that an ideal FO membrane should consist of a thin dense selective layer without any loose fabric support layer.     

Performance assessment of membrane distillation for skim milk and whey processing

Membrane distillation is an emerging membrane process based on evaporation of a volatile solvent. One of its often stated advantages is the low flux sensitivity toward concentration of the processed fluid, in contrast to reverse osmosis. In the present paper, we looked at 2 high-solids applications of the dairy industry: skim milk and whey. Performance was assessed under various hydrodynamic conditions to investigate the feasibility of fouling mitigation by changing the operating parameters and to compare performance to widespread membrane filtration processes. Whereas filtration processes are hydraulic pressure driven, membrane distillation uses vapor pressure from heat to drive separation and, therefore, operating parameters have a different bearing on the process. Experimental and calculated results identified factors influencing heat and mass transfer under various operating conditions using polytetrafluoroethylene flat-sheet membranes. Linear velocity was found to influence performance during skim milk processing but not during whey processing. Lower feed and higher permeate temperature was found to reduce fouling in the processing of both dairy solutions. Concentration of skim milk and whey by membrane distillation has potential, as it showed high rejection (>99%) of all dairy components and can operate using low electrical energy and pressures (<10 kPa). At higher cross-flow velocities (around 0.141 m/s), fluxes were comparable to those found with reverse osmosis, achieving a sustainable flux of approximately 12 kg/h·m² for skim milk of 20% dry matter concentration and approximately 20 kg/h·m² after 18 h of operation with whey at 20% dry matter concentration.     

Ultrafiltration/Reverse Osmosis Concentration of Lobster Extract

A membrane concentration system consisting of tubular polysulphone ultrafiltration (UF) and polyamide reverse osmosis (RO) was evaluated for concentrating key water soluble flavor compounds from lobster extracts. Major flavor-giving compounds in the extract were glutamic acid, glycine, arginine, uridine 5′-monophosphate (UMP), succninic acid and glucose. Factors affecting performance of the UF/RO systems, such as flow rate, feed solid level, temperature and pressure, on permeate flux and solids rejection were measured. The optimum UF conditions were 1.5% feed solid level, 15 L/min feed flow rate, 50°C feed temperature and 1 MPa log mean transmembrane pressure. The RO system retained all dissolved flavor components and its ideal operating conditions were 40°C, 2.8 MPa log mean transmembrane pressure and a flow rate of 15 L/min.     

REVERSE OSMOSIS OF COTTAGE CHEESE WHEY. 1. Influence of Composition of the Feed

SUMMARY– Permeation rate, retention, and solute flux during reverse osmosis of whey and whey fractions were compared using two types of cellulose acetate membranes. When the feed solutions contained no molecules larger than lactose, concentration polarization had little influence on performance except at the highest available driving force (applied pressure minus difference between osmotic pressures of the feed and permeate = 37.8 atm). With the more complex feeds (whey and deproteinized whey), both concentration polarization and fouling of the membrane occurred. Concentration polarization decreased both permeation rate and retention. Fouling decreased permeation rate, but its influence on retention was variable and depended principally on the feed, the solute, and the available driving force. Proteins and other macromolecules in whey had a greater influence on performance during reverse osmosis than smaller solute molecules. With whey as feed, maximum permeation rates were achieved at low available driving forces (10-12 atm), and were similar for the two types of membranes (about 1 ml/cm²*sec). Increasing the available driving force increased retention and therefore reduced solute flux. Choice between the two membranes requires a compromise between extent of desalting and loss of lactose in the permeate.     

正渗透膜污染的影响因素及清洗效果研究

为研究正渗透(FO)浓缩过程中的膜通量衰减规律,本文以牛血清白蛋白(BSA)为特征污染物,研究了正渗透过程中原料液的离子强度及BSA浓度、膜方位等参数不同时FO膜的污染规律,以提高膜通量和截留率为目标,对驱动液的种类、浓度,料液流速进行了优化,并优化了适宜的膜清洗方案.结果表明:原料液中离子强度越大,FO膜的初始通量越...     

High performance thin-film composite forward osmosis hollow fiber membranes with macrovoid-free and highly porous structure for sustainable water production

The development of high-performance and well-constructed thin-film composite (TFC) hollow fiber membranes for forward osmosis (FO) applications is presented in this study. The newly developed membranes consist of a functional selective polyamide layer formed by highly reproducible interfacial polymerization on a polyethersulfone (PES) hollow fiber support. Using dual-layer coextrusion technology to design and effectively control the phase inversion during membrane formation, the support was designed to possess desirable macrovoid-free and fully sponge-like morphology. Such morphology not only provides excellent membrane strength, but it has been proven to minimize internal concentration polarization in a FO process, thus leading to the water flux enhancement. The fabricated membranes exhibited relatively high water fluxes of 32-34 LMH and up to 57-65 LMH against a pure water feed using 2 M NaCl as the draw solution tested under the FO and pressure retarded osmosis (PRO) modes, respectively, while consistently maintaining relatively low salt leakages below 13 gMH for all cases. With model seawater solution as the feed, the membranes could display a high water flux up to 15-18 LMH, which is comparable to the best value reported for seawater desalination applications.     

反渗透浓缩籽瓜汁的实验研究

采用反渗透技术对籽瓜汁进行浓缩,分别研究了膜通量、压力、料液温度、籽瓜汁浓度等参数之间的关系,结果表明：反渗透膜对籽瓜汁有效成分的截留率接近100%,对无机盐截留率大于98%,籽瓜汁的最终浓缩浓度为20Brix;其它条件不变的情况下,膜通量与压力、料液温度成正比关系,与料液浓度成反比关系。     

REVERSE OSMOSIS TRANSPORT and MODULE ANALYSIS FOR GREEN TEA JUICE CONCENTRATION

Reverse osmosis experiments were performed to concentrate the green tea juice, and the experimental data was analyzed by using a set of transport equations together with osmotic pressure and density data of the green tea juice. the transport parameters obtained numerically by the above analytical procedure were then used to calculate several dimensionless quantities that can characterize a reverse osmosis module. an example of module design calculation was attempted using the dimensionless parameters so obtained. It has been found that an increase in operating pressure reduces the module length significantly when the feed tea juice concentration is high. an increase of the mass transfer coefficient on the high pressure side of the membrane has the same effect.     

Thin-film composite pressure retarded osmosis membranes for sustainable power generation from salinity gradients

Pressure retarded osmosis has the potential to produce renewable energy from natural salinity gradients. This work presents the fabrication of thin-film composite membranes customized for high performance in pressure retarded osmosis. We also present the development of a theoretical model to predict the water flux in pressure retarded osmosis, from which we can predict the power density that can be achieved by a membrane. The model is the first to incorporate external concentration polarization, a performance limiting phenomenon that becomes significant for high-performance membranes. The fabricated membranes consist of a selective polyamide layer formed by interfacial polymerization on top of a polysulfone support layer made by phase separation. The highly porous support layer (structural parameter S = 349 μm), which minimizes internal concentration polarization, allows the transport properties of the active layer to be customized to enhance PRO performance. It is shown that a hand-cast membrane that balances permeability and selectivity (A = 5.81 L m(-2) h(-1) bar(-1), B = 0.88 L m(-2) h(-1)) is projected to achieve the highest potential peak power density of 10.0 W/m(2) for a river water feed solution and seawater draw solution. The outstanding performance of this membrane is attributed to the high water permeability of the active layer, coupled with a moderate salt permeability and the ability of the support layer to suppress the undesirable accumulation of leaked salt in the porous support. Membranes with greater selectivity (i.e., lower salt permeability, B = 0.16 L m(-2) h(-1)) suffered from a lower water permeability (A = 1.74 L m(-2) h(-1) bar(-1)) and would yield a lower peak power density of 6.1 W/m(2), while membranes with a higher permeability and lower selectivity (A = 7.55 L m(-2) h(-1) bar(-1), B = 5.45 L m(-2) h(-1)) performed poorly due to severe reverse salt permeation, resulting in a similar projected peak power density of 6.1 W/m(2).     

反渗透膜的性能研究及在造纸废水处理中的应用

本文研究了反渗透膜BW30和X-20操作压力对膜通量和脱盐率的影响、离子半径对脱盐率的影响。实验结果表明:当操作压力从0.1MPa升高到0.2MPa时,两种膜对盐溶液的通量分别从0.59 L/(m2·h)上升到1.99 L/(m2·h),从0.34 L/(m2·h)上升到1.36 L/(m2·h),而脱盐率从30%下降到20%左右,随着离子半径的增大,膜的脱盐率依次增大;并研究了反渗透膜在造纸废水处理中的应用。实验结果表明:纳滤膜对小分子有机物有很好的截留、脱盐效果明显,并且对色度、浊度有很好的去除能力。     

Membrane independent limiting flux for RO and NF membranes fouled by humic acid

The flux decline of reverse osmosis and nanofiltration membranes was investigated under constant pressure conditions during humic acid fouling tests. For a given membrane type under a given feedwater composition, increasing pressure resulted in increased flux reduction and foulant accumulation. A limiting flux seems to exist beyond which the membrane flux cannot be sustained. Membranes with initial fluxes greater than the limiting flux experienced severe fouling and their pseudo stable fluxes approached the limiting flux. Flux reduction was much milder when the initial flux was lower than the limiting flux. Furthermore, the limiting flux seems to be independent of membrane properties, probably due to the dominance of foulant--deposited-foulant interaction upon complete foulant coverage over membrane surfaces. On the other hand, strong dependence of the limiting flux on the feedwater composition was observed. The limiting flux was reduced at higher proton, calcium, and/or background electrolytes concentrations, likely due to reduced electrostatic repulsion under these conditions.     

Cake-enhanced concentration polarization: a new fouling mechanism for salt-rejecting membranes

Results from well-controlled colloidal fouling experiments with reverse osmosis (RO) and nanofiltration (NF) membranes suggest the existence of a new source of flux decline for salt-rejecting membranes-cake-enhanced osmotic pressure. The physical mechanisms leading to this enhanced osmotic pressure are a combination of hindered back-diffusion of salt ions and altered cross-flow hydrodynamics within colloidal deposit layers, which lead to an enhanced salt concentration polarization layer. A model that accounts for both hindered diffusion of salt ions and altered hydrodynamics within colloidal deposit ("cake") layers is presented. The model successfully links permeate flux and salt rejection to cake-enhanced concentration polarization and provides new insight into the mechanisms through which salt-rejecting membranes foul. Experimental data support the model calculations and highlight the role of enhanced concentration polarization phenomena in the performance (i.e., water flux and salt rejection) of polymeric thin-film composite RO/NF membranes in environmental applications.     

Osmotic concentration of potato.

A study was conducted to determine what conditions define the equilibrium state between potato and osmosis solution for an osmosis concentration process. It was shown that at equilibrium, there is an equality of water activity and soluble solids concentration in the potato and in the osmosis solution. Rinsing the surface of the potato after osmotic concentration was shown to significantly reduce solids gain and soluble solids concentration in the potato, thus resulting in a sizeable increase in the potato water activity.
When water loss, solids gain, change of water activity and economics are considered, the optimal conditions for an equilibrium osmosis with sucrose would use a 50% solution at a solution/solids ratio of 4. Uptake of solids during sucrose-based osmosis results in 75% of the soluble solids in the equilibrated potato coming from the osmosis solution. A comparison of various osmosis solutions at a 60% total solids level shows that mixed sucrose-salt solutions give a greater decrease of water activity than the pure sucrose solution, even though the mass transport data are similar, this undoubtedly being due to the uptake of salt.
A model has been developed for calculation of osmosis mass transport data and water activity for osmotic concentration to equilibrium in sucrose solutions for the concentration range 10–70% and solutionlsolids range of 1–10. The mass transport data can be calculated with an average error < 4%. Water activity can also be predicted with good accuracy for the range of parameters normal for osmosis concentration processes. The proposed model was also able to predict osmosis mass transport data and water activity data for short, non-equilibrium osmosis times.     

Boric acid permeation in forward osmosis membrane processes: modeling, experiments, and implications

Forward osmosis (FO) is attracting increasing interest for its potential applications in desalination. In FO, permeation of contaminants from feed solution into draw solution through the semipermeable membrane can take place simultaneously with water diffusion. Understanding the contaminants transport through and rejection by FO membrane has significant technical implications in the way to separate clean water from the diluted draw solution. In this study, a model was developed to predict boron flux in FO operation. A strong agreement between modeling results and experimental data indicates that the model developed in this study can accurately predict the boron transport through FO membranes. Furthermore, the model can guide the fabrication of improved FO membranes with decreased boron permeability and structural parameter to minimize boron flux. Both theoretical model and experimental results demonstrated that when membrane active layer was facing draw solution, boron flux was substantially greater compared to the other membrane orientation due to more severe internal concentration polarization. In this investigation, for the first time, rejection of contaminants was defined in FO processes. This is critical to compare the membrane performance between different membranes and experimental conditions.     

Bidirectional permeation of electrolytes in osmotically driven membrane processes

Osmotically driven membrane processes (ODMP) are emerging water treatment and energy conversion technologies. In this work, we investigated the simultaneous forward and reverse (i.e., bidirectional) solute fluxes that occur in ODMP. Numerous experiments were conducted using ternary systems (i.e., systems containing three distinct ions) and quaternary systems (i.e., systems containing four distinct ions) in conjunction with a membrane in a forward osmosis orientation. Ten different combinations of strong electrolyte salts constitute the ternary systems; common anion systems studied included KCl-NaCl, KBr-NaBr, KNO(3)-NaNO(3), KCl-CaCl(2), and KCl-SrCl(2); and common cation systems explored were KCl-KH(2)PO(4), NaCl-NaClO(4), NaCl-Na(2)SO(4), NaCl-NaNO(3), and CaCl(2)-Ca(NO(3))(2). For each combination, two experiments were conducted with each salt being used once in the draw solution and once in the feed solution. Quaternary systems studied were NaCl-KNO(3), NaCl-MgSO(4), MgSO(4)-KNO(3), and NaCl-K(2)SO(4). Experimental fluxes of the individual ions were quantified and compared to a set of equations developed to predict bidirectional electrolyte permeation for ODMP in a forward osmosis orientation. Results demonstrate that ion fluxes from the draw solution to the feed solution are well predicted; however, ion fluxes from the feed solution to the draw solution show slight deviations from the model that can be rationalized in terms of the electrostatic interactions between charged ions. The model poorly predicts the flux of nitrate containing solutions; however, several unique mass transfer mechanisms are observed with implications for ODMP process design.     

Synthesis and characterization of novel forward osmosis membranes based on layer-by-layer assembly

Forward osmosis (FO) has received considerable interest for water- and energy-related applications in recent years. FO does not require an applied pressure and is believed to have a low fouling tendency. However, a major challenge in FO is the lack of high performance FO membranes. In the current work, novel nanofiltration (NF)-like FO membranes with good magnesium chloride retention were synthesized using layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly. The membrane substrate was tailored (high porosity, finger-like pores, thin cross-section, and high hydrophilicity) to achieve a small structural parameter of 0.5 mm. Increasing the number of polyelectrolyte layers improved the selectivity of the LbL membranes while reducing their water permeability. The more selective membrane 6#LbL (with 6 polyelectrolyte layers) had much lower reverse solute transport compared to 3#LbL and 1#LbL. Meanwhile, the FO water flux was found to be strongly affected by both membrane water permeability and solute reverse transport. Severe solute reverse transport was observed for the active-layer-facing-draw-solution membrane orientation, likely due to the suppression of Donnan exclusion as a result of the high ionic strength of the draw solution. In contrast, the active-layer-facing-feed-solution orientation showed remarkable FO performance (15, 20, and 28 L/m2.h at 0.1, 0.5, and 1.0 M MgCl?, respectively, for membrane 3#LbL using distilled water as feed solution), superior to other NF-like FO membranes reported in the literature. To the best of the knowledge of the authors, this is the first work on the synthesis and characterization of LbL based FO membranes.     

Integrating forward osmosis into microbial fuel cells for wastewater treatment, water extraction and bioelectricity generation

A novel osmotic microbial fuel cell (OsMFC) was developed by using a forward osmosis (FO) membrane as a separator. The performance of the OsMFC was examined with either NaCl solution or artificial seawater as a catholyte (draw solution). A conventional MFC with a cation exchange membrane was also operated in parallel for comparison. It was found that the OsMFC produced more electricity than the MFC in both batch operation (NaCl solution) and continuous operation (seawater), likely due to better proton transport with water flux through the FO membrane. Water flux from the anode into the cathode was clearly observed with the OsMFC but not in the MFC. The solute concentration of the catholyte affected both electricity generation and water flux. These results provide a proof of concept that an OsMFC can simultaneously accomplish wastewater treatment, water extraction (from the wastewater), and electricity generation. The potential applications of the OsMFC are proposed for either water reuse (linking to reverse osmosis for reconcentration of draw solution) or seawater desalination (connecting with microbial desalination cells for further wastewater treatment and desalination).     

Development of a UV coupled indigenous hydrophilized polyamide membrane system for enhanced shelf life of mature coconut water

The demand for mature coconut water is growing tremendously in beverage industries due to its high salubrious value and potential healing properties. Many coconut processing industries that manufacture products such as coconut oil, coconut milk, and desiccated coconut generate a massive volume of unutilized mature coconut water. Thus, the discharged liquid waste of valuable food products causes severe environmental pollution. Therefore, there is a need to develop a strategy to treat the unused liquid discharge that can improve shelf-life, natural freshness, flavor, aroma, and recovery of value-added products. In the present investigation, mature coconut water (CW) was concentrated by a UV coupled hydrophilized polyamide (HPA) reverse osmosis (RO) membrane. Experiments were conducted by varying functional parameters like applied pressure and operating time on flux, percentage water recovery, and salt rejection. From experimental observations, the membrane was found to exhibit 62.50% water recovery and 86.35% salt rejection with a maximum water flux of 4.85 L/m².h at an optimized feed pressure of 8 kg /cm². Further research was carried out by passing the concentrate solution through a UV module at 254 nm to prevent bacterial contamination. Additionally, the physicochemical parameters were assessed, and sensory evaluation studies were conducted to explore the final product's properties. The concentrate and permeate CW shelf-life was enhanced from 2 h to 30 days by refrigerating the samples at 4°C. Finally, the cost estimation of the designed system is provided to verify process scale-up and commercialization feasibility.