Forward Osmosis, Membracon

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Forward Osmosis

• Membracon UK

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Introduction to Forward Osmosis

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Forward Osmosis

• Forward Osmosis (FO) is a natural membrane
  process found in nature capable of extracting
  pure water from impure sources. Unlike Reverse
  Osmosis (RO), which uses hydraulic pressure to
  drive water across a semi - permeable membrane,
  FO uses a draw solution to draw water across
  it. FO spontaneously draws water across a
  membrane whenever one solution is higher in salt
  concentration or solute (draw solution) than
  another (feed solution). The difference in salt
  concentration between solutions is known as the
  osmotic gradient (?p) and is the free and natural
  energy responsible in powering the water
  extraction process.

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Forward Osmosis

• Forward osmosis (FO) is an osmotic membrane
  process that uses the natural driving force of
  osmotic pressure to separate water from a
  solution. FO uses a semipermeable membrane to
  separate two solutions with different
  concentrations a feed solution and a draw
  solution. The draw solution has a higher
  concentration of solutes than the feed solution,
  which creates an osmotic pressure gradient. The
  water in the feed solution moves across the
  membrane to the draw solution, driven by the
  osmotic pressure difference.

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How does Forward Osmosis work?

• As water is drawn from the feed solution into the
  draw solution across the semi-permeable membrane,
  two things occur the feed becomes concentrated,
  and the draw solution becomes diluted. The result
  of this is a reduction in the osmotic gradient
  between solutions and in turn a reduction in the
  flow rate across the semi-permeable membrane
  known as flux rate. For forward osmosis to
  operate continuously, water drawn across the
  membrane into the draw solution must be removed
  continuously so that a maximum draw concentration
  can be maintained and a maximum concentration
  gradient achieved.

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• Forward Osmosis has a number of advantages over
  other desalination technologies, such as reverse
  osmosis (RO)
• FO does not require high pressure to operate,
  which can reduce energy costs.
• FO can be used to treat a wider range of water
  sources, including high-salinity wastewater.
• FO is less susceptible to fouling than RO.

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• Forward Osmosis is still a relatively new
  technology, but it is rapidly gaining traction in
  a variety of applications, including
• Desalination of seawater and brackish water
• Wastewater treatment
• Food and beverage processing
• Pharmaceutical manufacturing

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• Here are some examples of how Forward Osmosis is
  being used in the real world
• A company in California is using FO to desalinate
  seawater and provide drinking water for a coastal
  community.
• A company in China is using FO to treat
  wastewater from a chemical plant.
• A company in Europe is using FO to concentrate
  fruit juice for a food and beverage company.
• A company in the United States is using FO to
  produce purified water for a pharmaceutical
  manufacturing plant.

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Membracon, UK