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Osmosis and Osmotic Pressure of Solutions

Osmosis and Osmotic Pressure of Solutions

A number of natural and synthetic materials exhibit selective permeation, meaning that only molecules or ions of a certain size, shape, polarity, charge, and so forth, are capable of passing through (permeating) the material. Biological cell membranes provide elegant examples of selective permeation in nature, while dialysis tubing used to remove metabolic wastes from blood is a more simplistic technological example. Regardless of how they may be fabricated, these materials are generally...

Osmosis

Osmosis

Osmosis is the movement of free water molecules through a semipermeable membrane. The water's concentration gradient across the membrane is inversely proportional to the solutes' concentration. Whereas diffusion transports material across membranes and within cells, osmosis transports only water across a membrane, and the membrane limits the diffusion of solutes in the water. Osmosis is a special case of diffusion.
Water, like other substances, moves from a high concentration of free water...

Osmosis

Osmosis

Approximately 60% to 95% of the weight of living organisms is attributed to water. Therefore, maintaining appropriate water balance within cells is of paramount importance. Osmosis is the movement of water across a semipermeable membrane, such as a cell’s plasma membrane. In living organisms, water plays a crucial role as a solvent—a molecule that dissolves other molecules.Diffusion Versus OsmosisBoth diffusion and osmosis are types of passive transport—cellular transport that does not require...

Osmotic Pressure

Osmotic Pressure

Osmosis is a process where solvent molecules move toward a solution through a semipermeable membrane. As the solution dilutes due to the entry of solvent, it expands. This expansion increases the hydrostatic pressure of the solution. When the hydrostatic pressure equals the osmotic pressure, osmosis stops.Osmotic pressure, denoted by Π, is the minimum pressure needed to prevent the solvent from passing into the solution by osmosis. The van 't Hoff equation calculates the osmotic pressure of an...

Dialysis

Dialysis

Dialysis is a diffusion-based purification process that separates analyte molecules from a complex matrix. This is accomplished by allowing molecules in the solution to pass through a semipermeable membrane into a liquid on the other side. The membrane is usually made of cellulose acetate or cellulose nitrate, and the second liquid must be miscible with the solution. Ions (e.g., chloride or sodium) or organic molecules (e.g., glucose) can pass through the membrane pores, which generally have...

Chemiosmosis

Chemiosmosis

Oxidative phosphorylation is a highly efficient process that generates large amounts of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the basic unit of energy that drives many cellular processes. Oxidative phosphorylation involves two processes— the electron transport chain and chemiosmosis.
Electron Transport Chain
The electron transport chain involves a series of protein complexes on the inner mitochondrial membrane that undergo a series of redox reactions. At the end of this chain, the electrons reduce...

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Ion-Exchange Membranes for the Fabrication of Reverse Electrodialysis Device

Ion-Exchange Membranes for the Fabrication of Reverse Electrodialysis Device

Published on: July 20, 2021

High performance thin-film composite forward osmosis membrane.

Ngai Yin Yip¹, Alberto Tiraferri, William A Phillip

¹Department of Chemical Engineering, Environmental Engineering Program, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520-8286, USA.

Environmental Science & Technology

|April 23, 2010

Summary

Researchers developed a high-performance thin-film composite membrane for forward osmosis, a key technology for desalination and water treatment. This novel membrane demonstrates excellent water flux and salt rejection, overcoming a major hurdle in the field.

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Area of Science:

Membrane science and technology
Water treatment technologies
Materials science

Background:

Osmotically driven membrane processes show promise for desalination, water treatment, and power generation.
A significant barrier to advancing these technologies is the lack of specialized membranes.
This study addresses the need for improved membranes in forward osmosis applications.

Purpose of the Study:

To develop and characterize a high-performance thin-film composite membrane for forward osmosis (FO).
To investigate the impact of support layer morphology on membrane performance.
To compare the performance of the developed membrane with commercial FO membranes.

Main Methods:

Fabrication of a thin-film composite membrane with a polyamide active layer and a tailored polysulfone support layer.
Characterization of the support layer morphology using phase separation techniques.
Performance evaluation of the membrane in a forward osmosis setup using NaCl draw solution and pure water feed.
Assessment of membrane stability with ammonium bicarbonate draw solution.

Main Results:

The fabricated membrane achieved water fluxes exceeding 18 L m⁻²h⁻¹ with a 1.5 M NaCl draw solution.
Observed salt rejection remained consistently above 97%.
High water flux was attributed to the optimized thickness, porosity, tortuosity, and pore structure of the polysulfone support layer.
The membrane demonstrated stable performance without degradation after prolonged exposure to an ammonium bicarbonate draw solution.

Conclusions:

The developed thin-film composite membrane offers significantly enhanced performance for forward osmosis applications.
Tailoring the polysulfone support layer morphology is crucial for achieving high water flux and salt rejection.
The new membrane is a promising candidate for desalination, water, and wastewater treatment, and power generation.