The effect of feed ionic strength on salt passage through reverse osmosis membranes

Several parameters are known to influence the passage of salts through a reverse osmosis membrane. These parameters include characteristics of both the membrane and the feed water. Of these parameters, the least understood is the effect feed water concentration has on salt passage. At high and very low feed salinities, salt passage can increase by a factor of two or more. As an increasing number of RO systems are designed to treat water at these salinity extremes, a better understanding of this salinity effect is necessary to accurately predict the permeate quality of these systems. This study seeks to demonstrate and characterize the salinity effect on different RO elements treating different feed waters. The magnitude of the salinity effect at any given feed salinity is shown to be influenced by membrane charge and feed water composition. The results of the study on individual elements are used to accurately predict the salt passage in an existing full scale RO system.