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Use of Micellar Solutions as Draw Agents in Forward Osmosis
Author(s) -
Roach Jim D.,
AlAbdulmalek Abdulrahman,
AlNaama Alaa,
Haji Mohammed
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
journal of surfactants and detergents
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.349
H-Index - 48
eISSN - 1558-9293
pISSN - 1097-3958
DOI - 10.1007/s11743-014-1638-6
Subject(s) - forward osmosis , chemistry , pulmonary surfactant , cellulose triacetate , membrane , ultrafiltration (renal) , chromatography , chemical engineering , adsorption , micelle , regenerated cellulose , reverse osmosis , osmosis , cetylpyridinium chloride , cellulose , organic chemistry , aqueous solution , biochemistry , engineering
Recent advances in membrane technologies have enhanced the viability of water treatment strategies that employ semipermeable barriers. Forward osmosis (FO), which exploits the natural osmotic pressure gradient between a “draw” solution and a “feed” solution to produce potable water, offers a low‐energy, low‐cost alternative to more conventional treatment methods. Surfactants, because of their tendencies to aggregate into micelles and to adsorb at interfaces, provide intriguing osmotic pressures and offer exploitable properties by which draw solutions can be regenerated. The effectiveness of surfactant‐based FO using cellulose triacetate membranes has been assessed in terms of water flux and reverse surfactant diffusion using cetylpyridinium chloride, sodium dodecylsulfate, and Triton X‐100. The ratios of water flux to surfactant flux exceeded 600 L mol −1 for all surfactants studied. Surfactant recoveries of over 99 % were achieved by ultrafiltration using regenerated cellulose membranes.