• 상하수도학회지
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• 제30권5호
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• pp.553-559
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• 2016

There has been increasing global interest in the environmental pollution problems produced by fossil fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. In order to tackle these issues, new renewable energy such as solar, wind, bio gas, fuel cell and pressure retarded osmosis(PRO) have been developed extensively. Among these energy sources, PRO is one of the salinity gradient power generation methods. In PRO, energy is obtained by the osmotic pressure generated from the concentration difference between high and low concentration solutions separated by a semipermeable membrane. The development for high power density PRO membranes is imperative with the purpose of commercialization. This study investigates development of thin film composite PRO membrane and spiral wound module for high power density. Also, the influence of membrane backing layer on power density was identified, and the characteristic factors of PRO membranes was determined. Different backing layers were used to improve power density. As expected, the PRO membrane with more porous backing layer showed higher power density.

• 상하수도학회지
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• 제31권4호
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• pp.303-310
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• 2017

Pressure retarded osmosis(PRO) has attracted much attention as potential technology to reduce the overall energy consumption for reverse osmosis(RO) desalination. The RO/PRO hybrid process is considered as the most logical next step for future desalination. The PRO process aims to harness the osmotic energy difference of two aqueous solutions separated by a semipermeable membrane. By using the concentrated water(RO brine) discharged from existing RO plants, the PRO process can effectively exploit a greater salinity gradient to reduce the energy cost of processing concentrated water. However, in order to use RO brine as the draw solution, PRO membrane must have high water flux and enough mechanical strength to withstand the high operational pressure. This study investigates the development of a thin film composite PRO membrane and spiral wound module for high power density. Also, the influence of membrane backing layer on the overall power density was studied using the characteristic factors of PRO membranes. Finally, the performance test of an 8-inch spiral wound module was carried out under various operating conditions(i.e. hydraulic pressure, flow rate, temperature). As the flow rate and temperature increased under the same hydraulic pressure, the PRO performance increased due to the growth of water permeability coefficient and osmotic pressure. For a high performance PRO system, in order to optimize the operating conditions, it is highly recommended that the flow pressure be minimized while the flow rate is maintained at a high level.

• 상하수도학회지
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• 제35권4호
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• pp.285-292
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• 2021

Osmotic power is to produce electric power by using the chemical potential of two flows with the difference of salinity. Water permeates through a semipermeable membrane from a low concentration feed solution to a high concentration draw solution due to osmotic pressure. In a pressure retarded osmosis (PRO) process, river water and wastewater are commonly used as low salinity feed solution, whereas seawater and brine from the SWRO plant are employed as draw solution. During the PRO process using wastewater effluent as feed solution, PRO membrane fouling is usually caused by the convective or diffusive transport of PRO which is the most critical step of PRO membrane in order to prevent membrane fouling. The main objective of this study is to assess the PRO membrane fouling reduction by pretreatment to remove organic matter using coagulation-UF membrane process. The experimental results obtained from the pretreatment test showed that the optimum ferric chloride and PAC dosage for removal of organic matter applied for the coagulation and adsorption process was 50 mg/L as FeCl₃ (optimum pH 5.5). Coagulation-UF pretreatment process was higher removal efficiency of organic matter, as also resulting in the substantial improvement of water flux of PRO membrane.

• 상하수도학회지
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• 제30권3호
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• pp.299-312
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• 2016

The main objective of this paper is to develop computer simulation program for performance evaluation and cost estimation of a reverse osmosis (RO) and pressure-retarded osmosis (PRO) hybrid process to propose guidelines for its economic competitiveness use in the field. A solution-diffusion model modified with film theory and a simple cost model was applied to the simulation program. Using the simulation program, the effects of various factors, including the Operating conditions, membrane properties, and cost parameters on the RO and RO-PRO hybrid process performance and cost were examined. The simulation results showed that the RO-PRO hybrid process can be economically competitive with the RO process when electricity cost is more than 0.2 $/kWh, the PRO membrane cost is same as RO membrane cost, the power density is more than $8W/m^2$ and PRO recovery is same as 1/(1-RO recovery).

• 상하수도학회지
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• 제29권1호
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• pp.133-138
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• 2015

Pressure retarded osmosis (PRO) process is one of membrane processes for harvesting renewable energy by using salinity difference between feed and draw solutions. Power is generated by permeation flux multiplied by hydraulic pressure in draw side. Membrane fouling phenomena in PRO process is presumed to be less sever, but it is inevitable. Membrane fouling in PRO process decreases water permeation through membrane, resulting in significant power production decline. This study intended to investigate the effect of hydraulic pressure in PRO process on alginate induced organic fouling as high and low hydraulic pressures (6.5 bar and 12 bar) were applied for 24 h under the same initial water flux. In addition, organic fouling in draw side from the presence of foulant (sodium alginate) in draw solution was examined. As major results, hydraulic pressure was found to be not a significant factor affecting in PRO organic fouling as long as the same initial water flux is maintained, inidicating that operating PRO process with high hydraulic pressure for efficient energy harvesting will not cause severe organic fouling. In addition, flux decline was negligible from the presence of organic foulant in draw side.

• 멤브레인
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• 제23권6호
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• pp.425-431
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• 2013

본 연구의 목적은 지지체의 친수화가 압력지연삼투(Pressure retarded osmosis, PRO)막의 투과특성에 미치는 영향에 대해서 알아보고자 하였다. 소수성 지지체인 폴리에스테르를 친수성 고분자인 셀룰로오스 용액을 사용하여 친수화도를 조절하였다. 지지체의 친수화 특성만을 파악하기 위해서 지지층 없이 동일한 활성층을 사용하여 PRO 막 투과 특성을 비교하였다. 사용된 활성층은 1,4-dioxane과 cellulose tri-acetate (CTA, 13 wt%)를 사용하여 제조하였으며, $5kgf/cm^2$ 압력 하에서 행한 PRO 성능 평가의 경우 투과도가 친수화된 지지체를 사용한 경우와 친수화되지 않은 경우에 각각 $1.2L/m^2hr$와 $0.8L/m^2hr$로 친수화된 지지체를 사용할 경우 약 50% 투과량이 증가되는 특성을 보였다. 그러나 셀룰로오스 농도 변화에 따른 지지체의 친수화도 증가가 투과량 변화를 가져오지는 않았다. 이는 지지체를 친수화하기 위해 사용된 셀룰로오스의 농도가 증가함에 따라 지지체의 기공이 막히는 현상에 기인한 것으로 보인다. 이러한 결과를 통해 정삼투공정에서 투과유량을 높이기 위해서는 지지체로서 친수성 소재를 사용하여 분리막을 제조함과 동시에 지지체 기공을 유지하는 것이 중요함을 확인하였다.

• 상하수도학회지
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• 제30권4호
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• pp.401-408
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• 2016

Desalination is getting more attention as an alternative to solve a global water shortage problem in the future. Especially, a desalination technology is being expected as a new growth engine of Korea's overseas plant business besides one of the solutions of domestic water shortage problem. In the past, a thermal evaporation technology was a predominant method in desalination market, but more than 75% of the current market is hold by a membrane-based reverse osmosis technology because of its lower energy consumption rate for desalination. In the future, it is expected to have more energy efficient desalination process. Accordingly, various processes are being developed to further enhance the desalination energy efficiency. One of the promising technologies is a desalination process combined with Pressure Retarded Osmosis (PRO) process. The PRO technology is able to generate energy by using osmotic pressure of seawater or desalination brine. And the other benefits are that it has no emission of $CO_2$ and the limited impact of external environmental factors. However, it is not commercialized yet because a high-performance PRO membrane and module, and a PRO system optimization technology is not sufficiently developed. In this paper, the recent research direction and progress of the SWRO-PRO hybrid desalination was discussed regarding a PRO membrane and module, an energy recovery system, pre-treatment and system optimization technologies, and so on.

• 멤브레인
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• 제22권5호
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• pp.352-358
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• 2012

본 연구는 pressure retarded osmosis (PRO) 분리막의 구조적 특성이 미치는 영향에 대하여 수행되었다. 이를 위해, 유사 분자구조를 가지며 자유부피는 차이가 나는 BPS-XX, BisA-XX가 선택되었다. BPS-XX와 BisA-XX는 축중합 반응을 통해 합성되었으며, 또한 더 세분화된 결과를 위해서 20~60 mol.%로 술폰화되었다. 자유부피의 변화에 따른 분리막의 특성을 입증하기 위해서 몇 가지 특성평가가 진행되었다. 연구 결과에서 동일 분자구조에서 자유부피가 증가하면 막의 투과도가 증가하였고, 선택도는 감소하였다. 본 연구의 투과도-선택도 결과에서, 분자의 기본 구조와 자유부피 조절에 따라서, 고 투과도와 선택도를 가진 막을 제조 가능함을 알 수 있었다.

• 멤브레인
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• 제25권4호
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• pp.367-372
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• 2015

정삼투와 압력지연삼투 공정에서 용매의 투과율은 용매와 막이 접촉하는 방식에 의존한다. 각각의 공정에서 막의 활성층이 고농도 용매와 접촉하는 경우를 압력지연삼투 방식이라 하고, 고농도 용매가 막의 다공성 지지하층과 직면해 있는 경우를 정삼투 방식이라고 한다. 압력지연삼투 방식과 정삼투 방식은 각각 희석형 그리고 농축형의 내부농도 분극 현상을 유발하는데, 동일한 조작 조건에서 정삼투 방식보다 압력지연삼투 방식이 높은 투과율을 나타내는 현상이 실험적으로 관측되었다. 본고에서는 정삼투방식과 압력지연삼투 방식에서 발생하는 본질적인 투과율 불균형을 수학적 귀류법을 이용하여 증명하고, 물리적인 원인을 규명한다.

• BMB Reports
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• 제41권12호
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• pp.858-862
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• 2008

Membrane-type 1 matrix metalloproteinase (MT1-MMP) is a zinc-dependent proteinase found in cholesterol-rich lipid rafts on the plasma membrane. MT1-MMP hydrolyzes extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins, activates pro-matrix metalloproteinase-2 (proMMP-2) and plays an important role in ECM remodeling, cancer cell migration and metastasis. The role of caveolin-1, an integral protein of caveolae, in the activation of MT1-MMP remains largely unknown. Here, we show that the expression of caveolin-1 attenuates the activation of proMMP-2, reduces proteolytic cleavage of ECM and inhibits cell migration. We utilized the cytoplasmic tail domain deletion (${\Delta}CT$) or the E240A mutant of MT1-MMP. Co-expression of caveolin-1 with the wild-type or the ${\Delta}CT$ MT1-MMP decreased the proMMP-2 activation and inhibited collagen degradation and cell migration. Caveolin-1 had no effect on the catalytically inert E240A MT1-MMP. Our findings suggest that caveolin-1 is essential in the down-regulation of MT1-MMP activity by promoting internalization from the cell surface.