Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 5, 2026
07:55
Ion-Exchange Membranes for the Fabrication of Reverse Electrodialysis Device
Published on: July 20, 2021
Forward Osmosis Technology and Its Application Progress
Bo Zhang1,2, Ronggang Wang1,2,3, Feng Wang1,2
1Guizhou Branch, China Three Gorges Corporation, Guiyang 550081, China.
Membranes
|July 27, 2026
Summary
Forward osmosis (FO) is a promising membrane technology with low energy use but faces challenges like draw solution regeneration. Advances in membranes and draw solutions are key to its industrial application, especially for energy and resource recovery.
Area of Science:
- Membrane Technology
- Water Treatment
- Energy Recovery
Background:
- Forward osmosis (FO) is a membrane technology with low energy consumption and pollution.
- However, limitations such as lower water flux, draw solution regeneration difficulties, and reverse solute flux hinder its industrial application.
Purpose of the Study:
- This paper reviews forward osmosis membranes, draw solutions, fouling characteristics, and applications.
- It also discusses development trends and future prospects of FO technology.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on FO membranes (cellulose acetate, thin-film composite, biomimetic).
- Classification of draw solutions (gaseous, organic, inorganic, nanoparticle-based, gel-based).
- Analysis of FO membrane fouling (inorganic, organic, colloidal, biofouling) and its comparison with pressure-driven processes.
Main Results:
- FO membranes include CA, TFC, and AQP-based biomimetic types.
- Draw solutions are diverse, with ongoing research into novel types.
- FO exhibits reduced fouling compared to RO, with four main fouling categories identified.
Conclusions:
- FO has wide applications in desalination, wastewater treatment, and energy generation (PRO).
- Draw solution reconcentration and regeneration are critical economic and energy challenges.
- Advancements position FO as a core technology for energy and resource recovery, particularly in lithium extraction.
Related Concept Videos
01:30Osmosis
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...
Water, like other substances, moves from a high concentration of free water...
00:47Osmosis
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...
02:40Osmosis 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...
01:26Osmotic 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...
02:12What Are Osmoregulation and Excretion?
Organisms must keep bodily fluids at a constant temperature and pH while maintaining specific solute concentrations in order to support life functions. Osmoregulation is the process that balances solute and water levels.
01:27Production of Alcohol
Continuous fermentation is a key strategy in industrial ethanol production, particularly when efficiency, scalability, and high yields are essential. This approach allows for uninterrupted operation and optimized resource utilization. The primary feedstock, corn starch, undergoes enzymatic hydrolysis facilitated by α-amylase and glucoamylase. These enzymes break down the starch into fermentable sugars such as glucose, which are readily assimilated by fermentative microorganisms.Fermentation...