Membrane distillation and forward osmosis : advances in membranes, modules, and applications

• Main Authors: Wang, R., Tang, Chuyang Y., Yang, X., Fane, Anthony Gordon
• Other Authors: School of Civil and Environmental Engineering
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: 2013
• Subjects: DRNTU::Engineering::Environmental engineering::Water treatment
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/96062; http://hdl.handle.net/10220/10075; http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/maney/ida/2012/00000004/00000001/art00004
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Membrane distillation (MD) and forward osmosis (FO) are attracting interest for reuse and desalination applications. Both processes are low pressure and suited to using low-grade thermal energy, such as waste heat and solar, which yield low greenhouse-gas emissions. MD applications include desalination, concentrate processing by MD crystallization, and a unique MD bioreactor with high-quality permeate for wastewater reclamation. FO applications include desalting, brine usage, and an FO bioreactor, which also produces high-quality permeate for reuse. This article reviews research developments in MD and FO at the Singapore Membrane Technology Centre.