Improved Resource Recovery from Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) Processes Using Novel Forward Osmosis (FO) Membranes

ForwardOsmosisTech featured in Smart Water & Waste World’s August 2019 issue

The latest issue of Smart Water & Waste World’s online magazine focuses on technologies supporting the global rise of zero liquid discharge (ZLD). ForwardOsmosisTech contributed with an article on how forward osmosis can potentially improve ZLD ROI. Below are a few highlighted sections from the article as well as download buttons for the article and SmartWWW’s August 2019 issue.

The sweet spot for FO

A window of opportunity exists for low-energy technologies capable of concentrating brines from 70,000 ppm to 250,000 ppm. A variety of membrane-based technologies have shown potential in this ppm-range, including Osmotically Assisted Reverse Osmosis (OARO), Membrane Distillation (MD), ElectroDialysis (ED), and Forward Osmosis (FO). FO membranes capable of extracting both water and monovalent salts, are shown to hold potential for improving ZLD ROI.

Challenge accepted?

Within today’s conservative water industry, commercializing forward osmosis technologies is very much an exercise in identifying applications with huge customer pains (the low hanging fruits), where current technologies are either not applicable, massively inefficient, or extremely expensive.

The use of forward osmosis for combined dewatering and resource recovery definitely seems to fit the bill. What remains to be done is for commercial players to start developing industrial NF-type FO membranes. Challenge accepted?

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