Effect of membrane mean pore diameter on water and solute flux in forward osmosis processes

Abstract

Several forward osmosis (FO) experiments were carried out using aqueous solutions of sodium chloride (NaCl) in different concentrations, as draw solution (DS), and freshwater, as feed water (FW). The experiments were conducted at a constant temperature of ~20°C and using a symmetric cellulosic membrane in two grades different in their values of the molecular weight cut-off (MWCO), which is related to the mean pore diameter. This study investigates the effect of the membrane mean pore diameter on water flux and DS solute diffusional flux across the membrane. The value of water flux indicates the performance of the FO process, while solute flux is an important factor that determines its practicality. A proportionality factor is used to specify the relationship between water flux and solute flux for each membrane type and operational conditions. The results of this study show that water flux and solute flux increase as the solute concentration difference across the membrane increases. It is also found that, in the range of the tested membranes, membranes with larger mean pore diameters have lower water flux and higher solute flux.