TY - JOUR
T1 - Modeling and optimization of membrane process for salinity gradient energy production
AU - Song, Lianfa
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 by the author. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
PY - 2021/5
Y1 - 2021/5
N2 - When hydraulic pressure was added on the feed side of the membrane in the otherwise conventional pressure retarded osmosis (PRO) process, the production rate of the salinity gradient energy could be significantly increased by manipulating the hydraulic pressures on both sides of the membrane. With hydraulic pressure added on the feed side of the membrane, much higher water flux could be obtained than that under the osmotic pressure of the same value. The osmotic pressure of the draw solution, instead of drawing water through the membrane, was mainly reserved to increase the hydraulic pressure of the permeate. In this way, orders of magnitude higher power density than that in the conventional PRO can be obtained with the same salinity gradient. At the optimal conditions, it was demonstrated that the energy production rates that were much higher than the economical breakeven point could be obtained from the pair of seawater and freshwater with the currently available semipermeable membranes.
AB - When hydraulic pressure was added on the feed side of the membrane in the otherwise conventional pressure retarded osmosis (PRO) process, the production rate of the salinity gradient energy could be significantly increased by manipulating the hydraulic pressures on both sides of the membrane. With hydraulic pressure added on the feed side of the membrane, much higher water flux could be obtained than that under the osmotic pressure of the same value. The osmotic pressure of the draw solution, instead of drawing water through the membrane, was mainly reserved to increase the hydraulic pressure of the permeate. In this way, orders of magnitude higher power density than that in the conventional PRO can be obtained with the same salinity gradient. At the optimal conditions, it was demonstrated that the energy production rates that were much higher than the economical breakeven point could be obtained from the pair of seawater and freshwater with the currently available semipermeable membranes.
KW - Hydraulic pressure
KW - Optimization
KW - Pressure retarded osmosis
KW - Salinity gradient energy
KW - Semipermeable membrane
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85107234129&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3390/separations8050064
DO - 10.3390/separations8050064
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85107234129
SN - 2297-8739
VL - 8
JO - Separations
JF - Separations
IS - 5
M1 - 64
ER -