Desalination by ammonia–carbon dioxide forward osmosis: Influence of draw and feed solution concentrations on process performance

Forward (direct) osmosis (FO) using semi-permeable polymeric membranes may be a viable alternative to reverse osmosis as a lower cost and more environmentally friendly desalination technology. The driving force in the described FO process is provided by a draw solution comprising highly soluble gases—ammonia and carbon dioxide. Using a commercially available FO membrane, experiments conducted in a crossflow, flat-sheet membrane filtration cell yielded water fluxes ranging from 1 to 10 μm/s (2.1 to 21.2 gal ft−2 d−1 or 3.6 to 36.0 l m−2 h−1) for a wide range of draw and feed solution concentrations. It was found, however, that the experimental water fluxes were far lower than those anticipated based on available bulk osmotic pressure difference and membrane pure water permeability data. Internal concentration polarization was determined to be the major cause for the lower than expected water flux by analysis of the available water flux data and SEM images of the membrane displaying a porous support layer. Draw solution concentration was found to play a key role in this phenomenon. Sodium chloride rejection was determined to be 95–99% for most tests, with higher rejections occurring under higher water flux conditions. Desalination of very high sodium chloride feed solutions (simulating 75% recovery of seawater) was also deemed possible, leading to the possibility of brine discharge minimization.