MEMBRANE FOULING IN ENGINEERING OSMOSIS PROCESSES

Abstract

Water scarcity and energy shortage are two major issues. These issues can be tackled by membrane technologies through engineering osmosis processes, i.e., forward osmosis (FO) and pressure retarded osmosis (PRO) processes. FO process can be used in desalination and recycling water. Since no external pressure is required for FO processes, the energy consumption can be minimized. In contrast, PRO can be used in osmotic power generation by mixing two different salinity streams through membranes. However, one of the major challenges of FO and PRO processes is the membrane fouling. This research focused on the studies of fouling mechanisms and fouling control in FO and PRO processes.