• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.38 no.9
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• pp.476-481
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• 2016

Pressure retarded osmosis (PRO) is a quite new technique for power generation using an osmotically driven membrane process. In the PRO process, water permeates through a semipermeable membrane from a low concentration feed solution to a high concentration draw solution due to osmotic pressure. This study carried out to evaluate the performance of the 8 in spiral wound membrane module using reverse osmosis concentrate for a draw solution and reverse osmosis permeate for a feed solution. Three different flowrates of draw and feed solution, such as 2.4 L/min, 5.0 L/min, and 10.0 L/min were used to estimate the power density and water flux under various range of hydraulic pressure differences between 5 bar and 30 bar. In addition, the effects of feed and draw solution concentration, flowrate, and mixing ratio on 8 in spiral wound PRO membrane module performance were investigated in this study. As major results, increases of the draw solution concentration lead to the improvement of power denstiy, and water flux. Also, increase of flowrate resulted in the improvement of power density and water flux. In addition, optimal mixing ratio of draw and feed solution inlet flowrate was found to be 1:1 to attain a maximum power denstiy.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.317-322
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• 2015

Salinity gradient power is a system which sustainably generates electricity for 24 hrs, if the system is constructed at a certain place where both seawater and river water are consistently pumped. Since power is critically determined by the water flux and the salt rejection, a membrane of water-semipermeable aquaporin protein in cell membranes was studied for pressure-retarded osmosis. NaCl was used as a salt, and $NaNO_3$ was used as a candidate to check the ion selectivity. The water flux of biomimetic aquaporin membranes was negligible at a concentration below 2M. Also, there is no remarkable dependence of water flux and ion selectivity on concentrations higher than 3M. Therefore, the biomimetic aquaporin membrane could not be applied into pressure-retarded osmosis; however, if a membrane could overcome the current limitations, the properties shown by natural cells could be accomplished.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.31 no.4
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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.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.30 no.5
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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.

• The KSFM Journal of Fluid Machinery
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.60-65
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• 2015

This paper deals with performance characteristics and efficiencies of Pelton turbine can be applied as one of ERDs (Energy Recovery Devices) of PRO (Pressure Retarded Osmosis) system for desalination. The objective of this study is experimentally estimating the performance of micro-scale Pelton turbine for PRO pilot plant. Especially the performance characteristics with variations of jet nozzle diameter of Pelton turbine are discussed in detail. In order to do this, lab scale test rig of Pelton turbine was made for performance test, which includes water tank, Pelton wheel with buckets, jet nozzle and torque brake and so on. The parameter effects related on Pelton turbine's efficiency were investigated and discussed on the influence of the variations of load and speed ratio.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.352-358
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• 2012

In this study, we found structure-property relationship for pressure retarded osmosis (PRO) membrane, between BPS-XX and BisA-XX having similar structure but different free volume. And this comparison was subdivided by controlling its sulfonation degree. BPS-XX and BisA-XX were prepared via a polycondensation reaction. The degree of sulfonation were 20 to 60 mol.%. And they were fabricated to membrane. Characteristics were analyzed to verify of free volume. And the results showed that increase of free volume normally lead to increase permeability and decrease selectivity in equivalent molecule structure. Finally, in the permeability-selectivity results, we conclude high permeability and selectivity membrane can be prepared by controlling molecular structure and free volume.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.755-764
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• 2016

Pressure retarded osmosis (PRO) processes can be implemented on a number of water types, using different technologies and achieving various power outcomes. In this study, Sewage facility effluent was used for feed solution of PRO and synthetic NaCl water for draw solution. This study was conducted to investigate effect of water quality of pretreatment on power density and flux decline in PRO process. The results show that organic and particulate foulants have to be removed for more stable operation. Flourescence technique with EEM enables to investigate the chemical properties of aquatic organic matter by extracting spectral information. Humic/fulvic matters and soluble microbial by-products were analyzed as the most affecting factors on the PRO performance. As a result of analyzing the whole system based on the energy consumption of the unit process, specific energy consumption(SEC) of the applicable technology for PRO pre-treatment should be about $0.2kWh/m^3$ or less.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.425-431
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• 2013

This paper has studied the hydrophilizing effect of support on the performance of pressure retarded osmosis (PRO). The hydrophilicity of polyester support has been controlled with cellulose solutions. In order to investigate the effect of hydrophilizing of support, the performance test has been conducted with membrane which compose of active layer and support in absence of support layer. The active layer has been made by casting of cellulose tri-acetate (CTA) 1,4-dioxane solution (13 wt%) and combined with the hydrophilized support. The results show that water fluxes of PRO membranes with hydrophobic or hydrophilized support were measured $0.8L/m^2hr$ and $1.2L/m^2hr$ under $5kgf/cm^2$ pressure, respectively. However, water flux increase did not accord with hydrophilicity of supports treated by cellulose solutions. It is because the porosity and pore size of supports decrease as the cellulose concentration increases. This result confirms that both the hydrophilization of support and the maintenance of membrane porosity are important to enhance the performance of PRO membrane.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.253-261
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• 2021

Solutions to water pollution, global warming, and climate change have been currently discussed. Pressure retarded osmosis (PRO) using a difference in salt concentration between two fluids is proposed to meet the demand for clean water and produce eco-friendly energy. Although PRO has been researched continuously, it has not been commercialized yet due to limitations such as lack of technology and the high price of membranes. Meanwhile, the membrane is one of the most significant parts of the PRO engine and salinity gradient power (SGP) technology. Research continues to technologically develop graphene oxide membranes and nanocomposite membranes used in salinity gradient power generation. Studies on efficient membranes, solvents, and solutes are active to enable high energy efficiency of the osmotic heat engine even at low temperatures of waste. Studies have been conducted on reducing internal concentration polarization and increasing power density by using membranes with balanced permeability and selectivity. In this review, dealing with these studies, we discuss the types of PRO membranes, theoretical modeling of technologies through efficient membranes, and other technologies to develop the process efficiency.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.16-34
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• 2021

Water supplies are decreasing in comparison to increasing clean water demands. Using nanofiltration is one of the most effective and economical methods to meet the need for clean water. Common methods for desalination are reverse osmosis and nanofiltration. However, pristine membranes lack the essential features which are, stability, economic efficiency, antibacterial and antifouling performances. To enhance the properties of the pristine membranes, graphene oxide (GO) is a promising and widely researched material for thin film composites (TFC) membrane due to their characteristics that help improve the hydrophilicity and anti-fouling properties. Modification of the membrane can be done on different layers. The thin film composite membranes are composed of three different layers, the top filtering active thin polyamide (PA) layer, supporting porous layer, and supporting fabric. Forward osmosis (FO) process is yet another energy efficient desalination process, but its efficiency is affected due to biofouling. Incorporation of GO enhance antibacterial properties leading to reduction of biofilm formation on the membrane surface. Pressure retarded osmosis (PRO) is an excellent process to generate clean energy from sea water and the biofouling of membrane is reduced by introduction of GO into the active layer of the TFC membrane. Different modifications on the membranes are being researched, each modification with its own advantages and disadvantages. In this review, modifications of nanofiltration membranes and their composites, characterization, and performances are discussed.