Investigating sustainable management of desalination brine through concentration using forward osmosis

AbstractA fertilizer drawn forward osmosis (FDFO) process was tested for the concentration of synthetic brine using an industrial-grade fertilizer ammonium sulfate (NH4)2SO4 as the draw solution (DS), NaCl-based synthetic brine as the feed solution (FS), and a commercial forward osmosis (FO) membrane. A bench-scale investigation and a pilot-scale investigation were carried out. By using the highest possible concentration of the DS with a fixed concentration of the FS, the brine generated by reverse osmosis (RO) desalination plants was simulated. The aim of this investigation, performed in batch mode, was to assess the feasibility of using the FDFO process with the tested DS to concentrate the brine by extracting water to dilute the DS. While the main aim of the investigated process was achieving the maximum possible volume reduction of the brine, the resulting DS was further diluted to reduce the nutrients’ concentration in the diluted DS to the acceptable levels producing fertilized water that can be used for fertigation. The investigation showed that the proposed process using the tested fertilizer resulted in an average water flux of 8.01 l/h/m2, and a volume reduction of the brine of around 12%.

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Structural investigation and application of Tween 80-choline chloride self-assemblies as osmotic agent for water desalination

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-96199-6 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Yasamin Bide ◽

Marzieh Arab Fashapoyeh ◽

Soheila Shokrollahzadeh

Keyword(s):

Nonionic Surfactant ◽

Choline Chloride ◽

Water Flux ◽

Forward Osmosis ◽

Tween 80 ◽

Average Diameter ◽

Feed Solution ◽

Water Desalination ◽

Draw Solution ◽

Osmotic Agent

AbstractForward osmosis (FO) process has been extensively considered as a potential technology that could minimize the problems of traditional water desalination processes. Finding an appropriate osmotic agent is an important concern in the FO process. For the first time, a nonionic surfactant-based draw solution was introduced using self-assemblies of Tween 80 and choline chloride. The addition of choline chloride to Tween 80 led to micelles formation with an average diameter of 11.03 nm. The 1H NMR spectra exhibited that all groups of Tween 80 were interacted with choline chloride by hydrogen bond and Van der Waals’ force. The influence of adding choline chloride to Tween 80 and the micellization on its osmotic activity was investigated. Despite the less activity of single components, the average water flux of 14.29 L m‒2 h‒1 was obtained using 0.15 M of Tween 80-choline chloride self-assembly as draw solution in the FO process with DI water feed solution. Moreover, various concentrations of NaCl aqueous solutions were examined as feed solution. This report proposed a possible preparation of nonionic surfactant-based draw solutions using choline chloride additive with enhanced osmotic activities that can establish an innovative field of study in water desalination by the FO process.

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Application of forward osmosis in reusing the brackish concentrate produced in reverse osmosis plants with secondary treated wastewater as feed solution: a case study

Journal of Water Reuse and Desalination ◽

10.2166/wrd.2016.097 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 6 (4) ◽

pp. 533-543 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

W. D. Wang ◽

M. Esparra ◽

H. Liu ◽

Y. F. Xie

Keyword(s):

Reverse Osmosis ◽

Membrane Fouling ◽

Water Flux ◽

Forward Osmosis ◽

Pump Energy ◽

Feed Solution ◽

Disinfection Byproducts ◽

Treated Wastewater ◽

Membrane Flux ◽

Flux Decline

This study evaluated the feasibility of forward osmosis (FO) in diluting and reusing the concentrate produced in a reverse osmosis (RO) plant in James City County, VA. Secondary treated wastewater (STW) was used as the feed solution. Findings indicated that pH had slight effects on the water flux of the FO membrane. As the concentration of total dissolved solids (TDS) in the concentrate was diluted from 12.5 to 1.0 g/L or the temperature in the STW decreased from 23 to 10 °C, the membrane flux decreased from 2.2 to 0.59 and 0.81 L/(m2 h), respectively. The FO membrane showed a good performance in the rejection of organic pollutants, with only a small part of the protein-like substances and disinfection byproducts permeating to the diluted concentrate. During an 89-hour continuous operation, water flux decline due to membrane fouling was not observed. Controlling the TDS in the second-stage FO effluent at 1.5 g/L, approximately 8.3% of the pump energy input could be saved. The consumption of groundwater was reduced from 22.7 × 103 to 10.6 × 103 m3/d. FO was proved to be an effective method in both diluting the discharged concentrate and reducing the energy consumption of RO.

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Succinate Functionalization of Hyperbranched Polyglycerol-Coated Magnetic Nanoparticles as a Draw Solute During Forward Osmosis

Journal of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology ◽

10.1166/jnn.2015.11244 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 15 (10) ◽

pp. 8279-8284 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Hee-Man Yang ◽

Hye Min Choi ◽

Sung-Chan Jang ◽

Myeong Jin Han ◽

Bum-Kyoung Seo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Magnetic Nanoparticles ◽

Succinic Anhydride ◽

Water Flux ◽

Forward Osmosis ◽

Feed Solution ◽

Carboxyl Groups ◽

Solute Leakage ◽

One Step ◽

Hyperbranched Polyglycerol ◽

The One

Hyperbranched polyglycerol-coated magnetic nanoparticles (SHPG-MNPs) were functionalized with succinate groups to form a draw solute for use in a forward osmosis (FO). After the one-step synthesis of hyperbranched polyglycerol-coated magnetic nanoparticles (HPG-MNPs), the polyglycerol groups on the surfaces of the HPG-MNPs were functionalized with succinic anhydride moieties. The resulting SHPG-MNPs showed no change of size and magnetic property compared with HPGMNPs and displayed excellent dispersibility in water up to the concentration of 400 g/L. SHPG-MNPs solution showed higher osmotic pressure than that of HPG-MNPs solution due to the presence of surface carboxyl groups in SHPG-MNPs and could draw water from a feed solution across an FO membrane without any reverse draw solute leakage during FO process. Moreover, the water flux remained nearly constant over several SHPG-MNP darw solute regeneration cycles applied to the ultrafiltration (UF) process. The SHPG-MNPs demonstrate strong potential for use as a draw solute in FO processes.

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Fabrication of a novel cyanoethyl cellulose substrate for thin-film composite forward osmosis membrane

Blue-Green Systems ◽

10.2166/bgs.2019.198 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 1 (1) ◽

pp. 18-32 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Ke Zheng ◽

Shaoqi Zhou

Keyword(s):

Thin Film ◽

Water Flux ◽

Forward Osmosis ◽

Feed Solution ◽

Salt Flux ◽

Sem Images ◽

Film Composite ◽

Thin Film Composite ◽

Reverse Salt Flux ◽

Cyanoethyl Cellulose

Abstract In this study, cyanoethyl cellulose (CEC) was used as a membrane material, and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) was used as pore-forming agent to prepare the substrates for the thin-film composite (TFC) forward osmosis (FO) membrane for the first time. The experimental results demonstrate that the properties of the substrates were significantly improved after PVP was added. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) images show that a two-sublayer structure, a fringe-like top sublayer and macrovoids with sponge-like wall bottom sublayer, were formed after the addition of PVP. These improvements contributed to improved membrane performance during FO tests. Meanwhile, after adding PVP, the TFC membranes exhibited good water flux, and excellent specific reverse salt flux. For instance, the TFC-M2 exhibited 9.10/20.67 LMH water flux, 1.35/2.24 gMH reverse salt flux, and 0.15/0.11 g/L specific reverse salt flux in FO/pressure-retarded osmosis mode while using 1 M NaCl as the draw solution and deionized (DI) water as the feed solution.

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Application of forward osmosis (FO) under ultrasonication on sludge thickening of waste activated sludge

Water Science & Technology ◽

10.2166/wst.2015.341 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 72 (8) ◽

pp. 1301-1307 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Nguyen Cong Nguyen ◽

Hau Thi Nguyen ◽

Shiao-Shing Chen ◽

Nhat Thien Nguyen ◽

Chi-Wang Li

Keyword(s):

Activated Sludge ◽

Hybrid System ◽

Membrane Fouling ◽

Water Flux ◽

Forward Osmosis ◽

Bound Water ◽

Feed Solution ◽

N Removal ◽

Sludge Thickening ◽

Sludge Concentration

Forward osmosis (FO) is an emerging process for dewatering solid–liquid stream which has the potential to be innovative and sustainable. However, the applications have still been hindered by low water flux and membrane fouling when activated sludge is used as the feed solution due to bound water from microbial cells. Hence, a novel strategy was designed to increase sludge thickening and reduce membrane fouling in the FO process under ultrasonic condition. The results from the ultrasound/FO hybrid system showed that the sludge concentration reached up to 20,400 and 28,400 mg/L from initial sludge concentrations of 3000 and 8000 mg/L with frequency of 40 kHz after 22 hours, while the system without ultrasound had to spend 26 hours to achieve the same sludge concentration. This identifies that the presence of ultrasound strongly affected sludge structure as well as sludge thickening of the FO process. Furthermore, the ultrasound/FO hybrid system could achieve NH4+-N removal efficiency of 96%, PO43−-P of 98% and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) of 99%. The overall performance demonstrates that the proposed ultrasound/FO system using seawater as a draw solution is promising for sludge thickening application.

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Water recovery from sewage using forward osmosis

Water Science & Technology ◽

10.2166/wst.2011.773 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 64 (7) ◽

pp. 1443-1449 ◽

Cited By ~ 61

Author(s):

Kerusha Lutchmiah ◽

Emile R. Cornelissen ◽

Danny J. H. Harmsen ◽

Jan W. Post ◽

Keith Lampi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Renewable Energy ◽

Reverse Osmosis ◽

Energy Content ◽

Water Flux ◽

Forward Osmosis ◽

Feed Solution ◽

Water Recovery ◽

High Quality ◽

Mining Project ◽

Quality Water

This research is part of the Sewer Mining project aimed at developing a new technological concept by extracting water from sewage by means of forward osmosis (FO). FO, in combination with a reconcentration system, e.g. reverse osmosis (RO) is used to recover high-quality water. Furthermore, the subsequent concentrated sewage (containing an inherent energy content) can be converted into a renewable energy (RE) source (i.e. biogas). The effectiveness of FO membranes in the recovery of water from sewage has been evaluated. Stable FO water flux values (>4.3 LMH) were obtained with primary effluent (screened, not treated) used as the feed solution. Fouling of the membrane was also induced and further investigated. Accumulated fouling was found to be apparent, but not irreversible. Sewer Mining could lead to a more economical and sustainable treatment of wastewater, facilitating the extraction of water and energy from sewage and changing the way it is perceived: not as waste, but as a resource.

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Performance of layer-by-layer (LbL) polyelectrolyte forward osmosis membrane for humic acid removal and reverse solute diffusion

Chemical Engineering Research Bulletin ◽

10.3329/cerb.v19i0.33799 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 19 ◽

pp. 75 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Suriani Husaini ◽

Mazrul Nizam Abu Seman

Keyword(s):

Humic Acid ◽

Chemical Engineering ◽

Water Flux ◽

Forward Osmosis ◽

Feed Solution ◽

Solute Diffusion ◽

Membrane Properties ◽

Layer By Layer ◽

Engineering Research ◽

Draw Solution

Recent study claimed that forward osmosis (FO) process could handle the fouling problem due it driven force based on natural osmotic pressure. However, researchers observed that FO membrane had problem with reverse solute diffusion (RSD) of draw solution. Therefore, FO membrane properties must be improved either physically or chemically in order to overcome this problem. Among all, surface modification approach has been acknowledged as a best technique to alter the membrane properties without significantly change the bulk membrane properties. In this study, polyelectrolyte FO membrane has been produced through Layer by Layer (LbL) deposition method by using Poly (diallyl-dimethylammoniumchloride), PDADMAC and Poly (sodium 4-styrene-sulfonate), PSS as an active monomers. Humic acid (HA) as part of Natural Organic Matter constituents was used as the feed solution and NaCl as a draw solution. The chemical structure and morphology of the FO membrane were characterized by FTIR and FESEM, respectively. From this study, the highest water flux and humic acid rejection were achieved at 2.5M of draw solution with value of 2.56 L/m².h and 99%, respectively. In general, the water flux increases as the concentration of draw solutions were increased. However, it was observed that reverse salt diffusion (RSD) become worse at higher concentration of draw solution.Chemical Engineering Research Bulletin 19(2017) 75-79

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The Effect of Working Temperature on the Performance of Water Desalination Using Forward Osmosis: A CFD Study

Volume 11: Heat Transfer and Thermal Engineering ◽

10.1115/imece2020-23577 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Ahmed M. Alshwairekh ◽

Umar F. Alqsair ◽

Anas M. Alwatban ◽

Justin Caspar ◽

Alparslan Oztekin

Keyword(s):

Flow Rate ◽

Mass Fraction ◽

Water Flux ◽

Forward Osmosis ◽

Feed Solution ◽

Water Desalination ◽

Solution Temperature ◽

Porous Support ◽

Water Permeation ◽

Dynamics Simulations

Abstract Computational fluid dynamics simulations for water desalination using forward osmosis were conducted on a flat membrane module. In the simulations, the effect of the porous support layer is assumed negligible. The simulations were performed with two values of flow rate such that the Reynolds number equals 200 and 800 in each channel. The working temperatures of both the feed and the draw solutions were varied from 20°C to 40°C. The feed solution had a concentration of 0.00355 solute mass fraction while the draw concentration was set to 0.0355 solute mass fraction. In all simulations, the laminar model was utilized. The results of the simulations suggest that the osmotic pressure is not the only factor that affects the water flux in forward osmosis when there is a temperature difference between the two sides of the membrane. The solution properties have a significant effect on the separation process. As the solution temperature increases, the viscosity decreases, which in turn increases the water permeation through the membrane. The feed temperature had a more substantial influence on the water flux compared to the draw temperature. Also, the effect of changing the flow rate did not change the results substantially.

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Volume reduction and water reclamation of reverse osmosis concentrate from coal chemical industry by forward osmosis with an osmotic backwash strategy

Water Science & Technology ◽

10.2166/wst.2020.331 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 81 (12) ◽

pp. 2674-2684

Author(s):

Jiandong Lu ◽

Xiuheng Wang

Keyword(s):

Reverse Osmosis ◽

Active Layer ◽

Chemical Industry ◽

Forward Osmosis ◽

Feed Solution ◽

Volume Reduction ◽

Water Reclamation ◽

High Concentration ◽

Chemical Cleaning ◽

Draw Solution

Abstract Coal chemical industry (CCI) generally utilizes reverse osmosis (RO) for water reclamation, which generates a highly concentrated stream containing refractory organic substances and high-concentration total dissolved solids (TDS). To address this issue, the present work focuses on volume reduction of RO concentrate (ROC) produced from CCI by forward osmosis (FO). We investigated the effects of membrane orientation and draw solution (DS) concentration on FO performance. Foulant removal was tested by using chemical cleaning, physical cleaning and osmotic backwash (OB). AL-FS (active layer facing feed solution) mode outcompeted AL-DS (active layer facing draw solution) mode, achieving a flux of 26.4 LMH, 92.5% water reclamation and energy consumption of 0.050 kWh·m−3 with 4 M NaCl as DS. The FO process was able to reject >98% SO42−, Mg2+and Ca2+, 92–98% Si and 33–55% total organic carbon (TOC). Ten-cycle (10 × 20 h) accelerated fouling test demonstrated approximately 30% flux decline in association with Si-containing foulants, which could be removed almost completely through OB with 97.1% flux recovery. This study provides a proof-of-concept demonstration of FO for volume reduction and water reclamation of ROC produced from CCI, making the treatment of ROC more efficient and more energy effective.

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