Reverse osmosis separation of inorganic solutes in aqueous solutions using porous cellulose acetate membranes

Using a modified form of the Born expression for the free energy of ion-solvent interaction, to both the bulk solution phase and the membrane–solution interface, a parameter is obtained to express the repulsion of the ion at the interface. This parameter, called the free energy parameter for ions, is then related to solute transport parameter obtained from reverse osmosis experiments. Numerical values of this free energy parameter have been obtained for six monovalent and four divalent cations and for 12 monovalent anions. Using the experimental data for the reverse osmosis separation of sodium chloride as reference, the utility of the above parameter for predicting solute separation in reverse osmosis is illustrated for 32 other inorganic salts.