Achieving high water recovery at low pressure in reverse osmosis processes for seawater desalination

A new generation of reverse osmosis membranes, low-pressure reverse osmosis (LPRO) membranes, have been developed for operation under very low pressure (below 0.5 MPa). LPRO membranes have received attention especially for their application in the field of water and wastewater treatment, to provide a high water flux at low operating pressure while maintaining very good rejection levels of salts and organics. Our previous work on LPRO has shown that the rejection of some inorganic salts and organic compounds depends appreciably on the pH of the bulk solution, probably because LPRO membranes can have an electric charge. In this study we investigated experimentally the effectiveness of different LPRO membranes in separating inorganic salts and organic compounds from a bulk solution with different pH conditions. We also tried to measure membrane ξ-potential by using a streaming potential method. The results indicated that the membrane ξ-potential as well as the ion size or molecular weight of organics can be considered key factors in the rejection of ionic salts and dissociated organic compounds including pesticides and endocrine disruptors.

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Enhanced water recovery in the coal seam gas industry using a dual reverse osmosis system

Environmental Science Water Research & Technology ◽

10.1039/c6ew00266h ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 3 (2) ◽

pp. 278-292 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Dean Blair ◽

Dominic T. Alexander ◽

Sara J. Couperthwaite ◽

Mariam Darestani ◽

Graeme J. Millar

Keyword(s):

Coal Seam ◽

Reverse Osmosis ◽

High Water ◽

Water Recovery ◽

Robust Method ◽

Coal Seam Gas ◽

Recovery Rates ◽

Gas Industry ◽

System P ◽

Dual Stage

A robust method involving intermediate nanofiltration in a dual stage RO system to achieve high water recovery rates from coal seam water has been developed.

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Pilot-scale membrane capacitive deionisation for effective bromide removal and high water recovery in seawater desalination

Desalination ◽

10.1016/j.desal.2020.114309 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 479 ◽

pp. 114309 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Pema Dorji ◽

David Inhyuk Kim ◽

Seungkwan Hong ◽

Sherub Phuntsho ◽

Ho Kyong Shon

Keyword(s):

High Water ◽

Pilot Scale ◽

Water Recovery ◽

Seawater Desalination ◽

Bromide Removal

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UTEP–EPW university–utility partnership: Concentrate enhanced–recovery reverse osmosis process for high water recovery from silica‐saturated desalination concentrates

Water Environment Research ◽

10.1002/wer.1176 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 92 (3) ◽

pp. 369-377 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Anthony Tarquin ◽

William Shane Walker ◽

Guillermo Delgado ◽

Angel Bustamante

Keyword(s):

Reverse Osmosis ◽

Enhanced Recovery ◽

High Water ◽

Water Recovery

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Life cycle cost of a hybrid forward osmosis – low pressure reverse osmosis system for seawater desalination and wastewater recovery

Water Research ◽

10.1016/j.watres.2015.10.017 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 88 ◽

pp. 225-234 ◽

Cited By ~ 120

Author(s):

R. Valladares Linares ◽

Z. Li ◽

V. Yangali-Quintanilla ◽

N. Ghaffour ◽

G. Amy ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Life Cycle ◽

Reverse Osmosis ◽

Life Cycle Cost ◽

Forward Osmosis ◽

Low Pressure ◽

Seawater Desalination

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Enhanced modelling and experimental validation of ultra-Low pressure reverse osmosis (ULPRO) membrane system for treatment of synthetic brackish water

Water Science & Technology ◽

10.2166/wst.2021.442 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Saffa Syamimi Norizam ◽

Mohd Azlan Hussain ◽

Mohd Usman Mohd Junaidi

Keyword(s):

Reverse Osmosis ◽

Brackish Water ◽

Membrane System ◽

Low Pressure ◽

Chloride Salt ◽

Water Recovery ◽

Salt Rejection ◽

Feed Pressure ◽

Input Variables ◽

Water Scarce

Abstract Water purification from brackish water sources has been acknowledged as one of the most promising ways in producing drinkable water in water-scarce areas. In this study, an ultra-low pressure reverse osmosis (ULPRO) membrane was numerically and experimentally investigated to produce drinking water by the removal of sodium chloride salt which provides further validation of the model from a practical perspective. An enhanced predictive model based on Donnan-Steric Pore Model with dielectric exclusion (DSPM-DE) incorporating the osmotic effects was formulated in process simulation. The feed pressure and concentration were optimized as input variables and interaction between them was observed, while salt rejection and water recovery rate were taken as response attributes. The results obtained on the ULPRO membrane showed that the performance depends on the charge, steric, and dielectric effects. Furthermore, the enhanced model was validated with the experimental data attained from a lab-scale filtration system with good accuracy in the salt rejection and water recovery results. Comparing the enhanced DSPM-DE with the existing solution diffusion model reveals that the enhanced model predicts the membrane performance better and thereby qualifies itself as a reliable model for desalination of brackish water using ULPRO membrane.

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Reverse Osmosis Performance at High Pressure with High Water Recovery.

JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING OF JAPAN ◽

10.1252/jcej.33.414 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 33 (3) ◽

pp. 414-419 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Izumi Kumakiri ◽

Toshinori Tsuru ◽

Shin-ichi Nakao ◽

Shouji Kimura

Keyword(s):

High Pressure ◽

Reverse Osmosis ◽

High Water ◽

Water Recovery

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Analysis and calculation of the process of low-pressure reverse osmosis during recycling of hygienic water

Space engineering and technology ◽

10.33950/spacetech-2308-7625-2019-2-28-36 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 28-36

Author(s):

Leonid S. Bobe ◽

Nikolay A. Salnikov

Keyword(s):

Mass Transfer ◽

Reverse Osmosis ◽

Life Support ◽

Space Station ◽

Low Pressure ◽

Operating Pressure ◽

Life Support System ◽

Cleaning Agent ◽

The Difference ◽

Pressure Channel

Analysis and calculation have been conducted of the process of low-pressure reverse osmosis in the membrane apparatus of the system for recycling hygiene water for the space station. The paper describes the physics of the reverse osmosis treatment and determines the motive force of the process, which is the difference of effective pressures (operating pressure minus osmotic pressure) in the solution near the surface of the membrane and in the purified water. It is demonstrated that the membrane scrubbing action is accompanied by diffusion outflow of the cleaning agent components away from the membrane. The mass transfer coefficient and the difference of concentrations (and, accordingly, the difference of osmotic pressures) in the boundary layer of the pressure channel can be determined using an extended analogy between mass transfer and heat transfer. A procedure has been proposed and proven in an experiment for calculating the throughput of a reverse osmosis apparatus purifying the hygiene water obtained through the use of a cleaning agent used in sanitation and housekeeping procedures on Earth. Key words: life support system, hygiene water, water processing, low-pressure reverse osmosis, space station.

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Using Reverse Osmosis Membrane at High Temperature for Water Recovery and Regeneration from Thermo-Responsive Ionic Liquid-Based Draw Solution for Efficient Forward Osmosis

Membranes ◽

10.3390/membranes11080588 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (8) ◽

pp. 588

Author(s):

Eiji Kamio ◽

Hiroki Kurisu ◽

Tomoki Takahashi ◽

Atsushi Matsuoka ◽

Tomohisa Yoshioka ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ionic Liquid ◽

High Temperature ◽

Energy Saving ◽

Osmotic Pressure ◽

Reverse Osmosis ◽

Forward Osmosis ◽

Solution Temperature ◽

Water Recovery ◽

Temperature Dependent ◽

Draw Solution

Forward osmosis (FO) membrane process is expected to realize energy-saving seawater desalination. To this end, energy-saving water recovery from a draw solution (DS) and effective DS regeneration are essential. Recently, thermo-responsive DSs have been developed to realize energy-saving water recovery and DS regeneration. We previously reported that high-temperature reverse osmosis (RO) treatment was effective in recovering water from a thermo-responsive ionic liquid (IL)-based DS. In this study, to confirm the advantages of the high-temperature RO operation, thermo-sensitive IL-based DS was treated by an RO membrane at temperatures higher than the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of the DS. Tetrabutylammonium 2,4,6-trimethylbenznenesulfonate ([N4444][TMBS]) with an LCST of 58 °C was used as the DS. The high-temperature RO treatment was conducted at 60 °C above the LCST using the [N4444][TMBS]-based DS-lean phase after phase separation. Because the [N4444][TMBS]-based DS has a significantly temperature-dependent osmotic pressure, the DS-lean phase can be concentrated to an osmotic pressure higher than that of seawater at room temperature (20 °C). In addition, water can be effectively recovered from the DS-lean phase until the DS concentration increased to 40 wt%, and the final DS concentration reached 70 wt%. From the results, the advantages of RO treatment of the thermo-responsive DS at temperatures higher than the LCST were confirmed.

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