review · Desalination and Water Treatment
Forward osmosis represents an energy efficient membrane process for wastewater treatment and purification that suffers less fouling than pressure driven methods. Practical uptake remains limited by challenges including concentration polarisation, fouling, and reverse solute diffusion. Polyamide thin film composite membranes, manufactured through interfacial polymerisation on porous supports, are widely used in water treatment and desalination to address these issues. Optimal performance depends on striking a balance between water permeability and solute rejection within the top active layer, while configuring the support layer to maintain high permeate flow. Recent research has focused on diverse fabrication and modification strategies for both the active and support layers, including the development of interlayered and double skinned structures. Scaling up these modification techniques remains necessary to transition them into practical use.
Clean water production requires energy efficient filtration technologies. Forward osmosis can treat difficult wastewater with lower power requirements than conventional pressure driven systems. Refining thin film composite membranes helps solve performance limits such as clogging and chemical diffusion, paving the way towards more reliable and affordable purification systems.
The reviewed techniques could enable improved membranes for industrial wastewater treatment and desalination facilities. The technology appears to be at an early stage of development, as the modification methods require further research into scalability before they can be deployed in practical, real-world operations.
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Forward osmosis (FO) is an extensively studied osmotic process primarily used in wastewater treatment and purification. It has recently gained recognition as a highly promising membrane technology due to its simplicity, low energy consumption, and minimal fouling compared to pressure-driven membrane technologies. However, the application of the FO process faces challenges such as concentration polarization, reverse solute diffusion, and fouling. Enhancing FO performance requires an efficient membrane that offers high water flux, low solute flux, reduced fouling, and controlled concentration polarization. Among the most effective membranes are polyamide thin-film composite (PA-TFC) membranes, which are created through interfacial polymerization (IP) on porous supports and are mostly used in water treatment and desalination. Currently, there is a need to develop innovative FO membranes that achieve a fine balance between water permeability and solute rejection in the top layer. Additionally, the support layer must be designed to ensure high permeate flow. This paper reviews recent advancements in PA-TFC FO membrane processes and fabrication techniques aimed at modifying the top active layer and support layer, along with other modifications such as interlayered and double-skinned membranes. Finally, further research is required to investigate the scalability of these modification techniques for practical applications.
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DOI: 10.1016/j.dwt.2024.100815
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