Overview of pressure-retarded osmosis (PRO) process and hybrid application to sea water reverse osmosis process

Kim, Jihye; Lee, Jijung; Kim, Joon Ha

doi:10.1080/19443994.2012.672170

Cited by 46 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…PRO is mostly regarded as an environmental-friendly and sustainable energy production process that uses seawater or concentrated seawater (i.e., brine from reverse osmosis (RO)) as the draw solution, while river water or wastewater effluent is used as the feed solution [9,10]. The fact that there are no carbon dioxide emissions and that there is less periodicity to the weather conditions make this process even more attractive [11].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Performance analysis of reverse osmosis, membrane distillation, and pressure-retarded osmosis hybrid processes

et al. 2016

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A performance analysis of a tri-combined process that consists of reverse osmosis (RO), membrane distillation (MD), and pressure-retarded osmosis (PRO) was conducted by using numerical approaches in order to evaluate its feasibility. In the hybrid process, the RO brine is partially used as the MD feed solution, and the concentrated MD brine is then mixed with the rest of the RO brine to be considered as the PRO draw solution. Here, the brine division ratio, incoming flow rate of RO, dimensions of the MD and PRO processes, and the supply cost of the MD heat source were considered as influential parameters. Previously validated process models were employed and the specific energy consumption (SEC) was calculated to examine the performance of the RO-MD-PRO hybrid process. The simulation results confirmed that the RO-MD-PRO hybrid process could outperform stand-alone RO in terms of reducing the SEC and the environmental footprint by dilution of the RO brine in locations where free or low-cost thermal energy can be exploited. Despite the need for further investigations and pilot-tests to determine its commercial practicability, this study provides insights into future directions for water and energy nexus processes for energy efficient desalination.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Performance analysis of reverse osmosis, membrane distillation, and pressure-retarded osmosis hybrid processes

et al. 2016

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“…PRO energy is generated and used in either of the two other processes. This SWRO-PRO-WWT hybrid system has already been suggested and discussed in the literature (e.g., [22,69,70]) for a potential application of PRO. A conceptual ideal for this system is shown in Fig.…”

Section: Energy Production During Idle Periods Of Desalination Plantsmentioning

confidence: 96%

The power of salinity gradients: An Australian example

Helfer

Lemckert

2015

Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews

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“…Even though a high performance has been observed in laboratory scale PRO membranes [10,11], there have been no adequate PRO membrane module developed yet. The requirement of separate pretreatment processes for the feed and draw solutions, and the development of an energy recovery device specialized for PRO are other obstacles [9]. In addition, the performance of PRO is severely limited by fouling, similar to that in membrane processes such as microfiltration (MF), ultrafiltration (UF), RO, and forward osmosis (FO) [12].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Prior to implementation, however, harmful effects on the marine environment caused by concentrated RO brine need to be minimized and intake costs reduced by re-using the wastewater discharge [8]. Since abundant water sources are commonly applied in PRO, the greatest advantages of this process is its sustainability as well as lack of carbon dioxide emissions [9].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of hydraulic pressure and pH on organic fouling in pressure retarded osmosis (PRO) process

Kim

Lee

Kim

et al. 2016

Desalination and Water Treatment

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A B S T R A C TPressure retarded osmosis (PRO) is a promising membrane-based process for producing clean and renewable energy. Since the major driving force is the salinity gradient between the feed and draw solutions, PRO can operate without a large environmental footprint. However, the performance of PRO can be severely limited by fouling, with organic fouling commonly deemed the main factor influencing PRO performance, since even a small amount of organic foulants can cause a significant flux decline. In spite of its importance, however, few studies have focused on PRO fouling. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to investigate the effect of hydraulic pressure as an influencing factor and to adjust the feed solution pH in order to alleviate fouling in the PRO process. Alginate was chosen as the model foulant due to its common existence in feed water. Based on our results, a higher hydraulic pressure caused an increase in the reverse solute flux, such that organic fouling became aggravated. In addition, the potential for fouling control by changing the feed solution pH was confirmed. As such, it is expected that this study would provide insight into PRO development in terms of the reduction of fouling.

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Overview of pressure-retarded osmosis (PRO) process and hybrid application to sea water reverse osmosis process

Cited by 46 publications

References 27 publications

Performance analysis of reverse osmosis, membrane distillation, and pressure-retarded osmosis hybrid processes

Performance analysis of reverse osmosis, membrane distillation, and pressure-retarded osmosis hybrid processes

The power of salinity gradients: An Australian example

Impact of hydraulic pressure and pH on organic fouling in pressure retarded osmosis (PRO) process

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