Enhancing boron rejection in FO using alkaline draw solutions.

Yi-Ning Wang, Weiyi Li, Rong Wang, Chuyang Y Tang

Water research 2017 Jul 01

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This study provides a novel method to enhance boron removal in a forward osmosis (FO) process. It utilizes the reverse solute diffusion (RSD) of ions from alkaline draw solutions (DSs) and the concentration polarization of the hydroxyl ions to create a highly alkaline environment near the membrane active surface. The results show that boron rejection can be significantly enhanced by increasing the pH of NaCl DS to 12.5 in the active-layer-facing-feed-solution (AL-FS) orientation. The effect of RSD enhanced boron rejection was further promoted in the presence of concentration polarization (e.g., in the active-layer-facing-draw-solution (AL-DS) orientation). The current study opens a new dimension for controlling contaminant removal by FO using tailored DS chemistry, where the RSD-induced localized water chemistry change is taken advantage in contrast to the conventional method of chemical dosing to the bulk feed water. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Citation

Yi-Ning Wang, Weiyi Li, Rong Wang, Chuyang Y Tang. Enhancing boron rejection in FO using alkaline draw solutions. Water research. 2017 Jul 01;118:20-25