Recent Progress of Membrane Technology and its New Application for Water Treatment

Nowadays, membrane separation such as reverse osmosis (RO) and ultrafiltration (UF) play an important role in the industrial separation technology. Among desalination technologies available today, reverse osmosis is usually the most economical process for wide range of water salinity. Main applications include production of high purity water, desalination of seawater and brackish water for a drinking water supply, treatment of waste water for environmental protection, and recovery of precious materials from industrial waste water. In this paper, we will mention membrane performance and these practical use focused on reverse osmosis membranes and ultrafiltration membranes recently developed by Toray.