Development and Characterization of Special RO Membranes for Brine Concentration

Osmotically assisted reverse osmosis (OARO) is a membrane separation process that can turn brine wastes into valuable chemical commodities and clean water. The principle of operation is the presence of salt on both sides of an RO membrane to lower the pressure requirements. While this technology is validated with modelling and experimental studies, commercial membranes suffer from diminishing flux under process conditions. The aim of this project is to characterize commercially available membranes that are suitable for the OARO process, and to chemically modify them to have desirable properties. The modified membranes will then be contrasted with the original membranes, and an ideal candidate will be selected and used in the modelling of an OARO cascade.

Contact info:

Onur K. Aydın - o.k.aydin@utwente.nl