Our research article on the influence of hydraulic pressure and salinity on transport and structural properties of thin-film composite osmotic membranes is published in Desalination!
Recently, we proposed a novel cascading osmotically mediated reverse osmosis (COMRO) technology for energy-efficient hypersaline desalination. In this study, a transport model is established for COMRO and impacts of atypically high hydraulic pressures and salinities on membrane properties were investigated. We found that osmotic membranes show reversible reduction of water and salt permeabilities with rising hydraulic pressures, due to morphological changes of the active-support interlayer altering the effective membrane area. Additionally, the study revealed that water permeability increases at higher salinities, but the corresponding increase in salt permeability is disproportionally greater. Findings of this investigation advances the understanding of membrane transport and structural properties in the emerging COMRO technology and, on a broader perspective, provides insights into water and salt transport for other osmotic membrane processes.
