Zwitterions as alternative draw solutions in forward osmosis for application in wastewater reclamation

Zwitterions and betaines as highly soluble materials for sustainable corrosion protection: Interfacial chemistry and bonding with metal surfaces

The primary requirements for interfacial adsorption and corrosion inhibition are solubility and the existence of polar functional groups, particularly charges. Traditional organic inhibitors have a solubility issue due to the hydrophobic moieties they incorporate. Most documented organic inhibitors have aromatic rings, hydrocarbon chains, and a few functional groups. The excellent solubility and high efficacy of zwitterions and betaines make them the perfect replacements for insoluble corrosion inhibitors. Zwitterions and betaines are more easily soluble because of interactions between their positive and negative charges (-COO-, -PO3-, -NH3, -NHR2, -NH2R, -SO3- etc.) and the polar solvents. The positive and negative charges also aid these molecules' physical and chemical adsorption at the metal-electrolyte interfaces. They develop a corrosion-inhibiting layer through their adsorption. After becoming adsorbed at the metal-electrolyte interface, they act as mixed-type inhibitors, slowing both cathodic and anodic processes. They usually adsorb according to the Langmuir adsorption isotherm. In this article, the corrosion inhibition potential of zwitterions and betaines in the aqueous phase, as well as their mode of action, are reviewed. This article details the advantages and disadvantages of utilizing zwitterions and betaines for sustainable corrosion protection.

Polyelectrolyte and polyelectrolyte complex-incorporated adsorbents in water and wastewater remediation - A review of recent advances

In recent years, polyelectrolyte-incorporated functional materials have emerged as novel adsorbents for effective remediation of pollutants in water and wastewater. Polyelectrolytes (PEs) are a special class of polymers with long chains of repeating charged moieties. Polyelectrolyte complexes (PECs) are obtained by mixing aqueous solutions of oppositely charged PEs. Herewith, this review discusses recent advances with respect to water and wastewater remediation using PE- and PEC-incorporated adsorbents. The review begins by highlighting some water resources, their pollution sources and available treatment techniques. Next, an overview of PEs and PECs is discussed, highlighting the evolving progress in their processing. Consequently, application of these materials in different facets of water and wastewater remediation, including heavy metal removal, precious metal and rare earth element recovery, desalination, dye and emerging micropollutant removal, are critically reviewed. For water and wastewater remediation, PEs and PECs are mostly applied either in their original forms, as composites or as morphologically-tunable complexes. PECs are deemed superior to other materials owing to their tunability for both cationic and anionic pollutants. Generally, natural and semi-synthetic PEs have been largely applied owing to their low cost, ready availability and eco-friendliness. Except dye removal and desalination of saline water, application of synthetic PEs and PECs is scanty, and hence requires more focus in future research.

Anion Effect on Forward Osmosis Performance of Tetrabutylphosphonium-Based Draw Solute Having a Lower Critical Solution Temperature

The applicability of ionic liquids (ILs) as the draw solute in a forward osmosis (FO) system was investigated through a study on the effect of the structural change of the anion on the FO performance. This study evaluated ILs composed of tetrabutylphosphonium cation ([P₄₄₄₄]⁺) and benzenesulfonate anion ([BS]^-), para-position alkyl-substituted benzenesulfonate anions (p-methylbenzenesulfonate ([MBS]^-) and p-ethylbenzenesulfonate ([EBS^-]), and methanesulfonate anion ([MS]^-). The analysis of the thermo-responsive properties suggested that the [P₄₄₄₄][MBS] and [P₄₄₄₄][EBS] ILs have lower critical solution temperatures (LCSTs), which play a beneficial role in terms of the reusability of the draw solute from the diluted draw solutions after the water permeation process. At 20 wt% of an aqueous solution, the LCSTs of [P₄₄₄₄][MBS] and [P₄₄₄₄][EBS] were approximately 36 °C and 25 °C, respectively. The water flux and reverse solute flux of the [P₄₄₄₄][MBS] aqueous solution with higher osmolality than [P₄₄₄₄][EBS] were 7.36 LMH and 5.89 gMH in the active-layer facing the draw solution (AL-DS) mode at osmotic pressure of 25 atm (20 wt% solution), respectively. These results indicate that the [P₄₄₄₄]⁺-based ionic structured materials with LCST are practically advantageous for application as draw solutes.

Preparation, characterization, and performance of PES/GO woven mixed matrix nanocomposite forward osmosis membrane for water desalination

Mixed matrix woven forward osmosis (MMWFO) membranes made of polyethersulfone (PES)/graphene oxide nanosheets (GO NSs) were made by inserting varying wt% ratios of GO NSs (zero to 0.1 wt%) into the PES matrix. A coated woven fabric material was used to cast the membrane polymer solution. The physical characteristics and chemical structures of the produced PES/GO MMWFO membranes were studied, including contact angle, hydrophilicity, porosity, tortuosity, function groups, chemical and crystallographic structures, nanomorphologies, and surface roughness. The performance of the prepared PES/GO FO membranes for water desalination was evaluated in terms of pure water flux (J w), reverse salt flux (J s), and salt rejection (SR). The hydrophilicity and porosity of the FO membrane improved with the addition of GO NSs, as did water permeability due to the development of multiple skin-layer structures with greater GO NS loading. These GO NSs establish shortcut pathways for water molecules to move through, reducing support layer tortuosity by three times, lowering support layer structural features, and minimizing internal concentration polarization (ICP). The PES/0.01 wt% GO MMWFO membrane with a total casting thickness of 215 μm and 1 M NaCl concentration had the best performance, with the highest J w (114.7 LMH), lowest J s (0.03 GMH), and lowest specific reverse solute flux (J s/J w = 0.00026 g L-1), as well as a more favorable structural parameter (S = 149 μm). The performance of our optimized membrane is significantly better than that of the control woven commercial cellulose triacetate (CTA) FO membrane under optimal FO conditions. As the NaCl concentration increased from 0.6 to 2 M, J w increased from 105 to 127 LMH which is much higher than the J w of the commercial one (7.2 to 15 LMH). Our FO membranes have an SR of 99.2%@0.65 M NaCl, which is significantly greater than that of the CTA membrane.

Ecological Risk Evaluation and Removal of Emerging Pollutants in Urban Wastewater by a Hollow Fiber Forward Osmosis Membrane

Forward osmosis (FO) is a promising technology for the treatment of urban wastewater. FO can produce high-quality effluents and preconcentrate urban wastewater for subsequent anaerobic treatment. This membrane technology makes it possible to eliminate the pollutants present in urban wastewater, which can cause adverse effects in the ecosystem even at low concentrations. In this study, a 0.6 m2 hollow fiber aquaporin forward osmosis membrane was used for the treatment of urban wastewater from the Valladolid wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). A total of 51 Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CECs) were investigated, of which 18 were found in the target urban wastewater. They were quantified, and their ecotoxicological risk impact was evaluated. Different salts with different concentrations were tested as draw solutions to evaluate the membrane performances when working with pretreated urban wastewater. NaCl was found to be the most appropriate salt since it leads to higher permeate fluxes and lower reverse saline fluxes. The membrane can eliminate or significantly reduce the pollutants present in the studied urban wastewater, producing water without ecotoxicological risk or essentially free of pollutants. In all cases, good recovery was achieved, which increased with molecular weight, although chemical and electrostatic interactions also played a role.

Progress in osmotic membrane bioreactors research: Contaminant removal, microbial community and bioenergy production in wastewater

Renewable energy, water conservation, and environmental protection are the most important challenges today. Osmotic membrane bioreactor (OMBR) is an innovative process showing superior performance in bioenergy production, eliminating contaminants, and low fouling tendency. However, salinity build-up is the main drawback of this process. Identifying the microbial community can improve the process in bioenergy production and contaminant treatment. This review aims to study the recent progress and challenges of OMBRs in contaminant removal, microbial communities and bioenergy production. OMBRs are widely reported to remove over 80% of total organic carbon, PO₄^3-, NH₄⁺ and emerging contaminants from wastewater. The most important microbial phyla for both hydrogen and methane production in OMBR are Firmicutes, Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes. Firmicutes' dominance in anaerobic processes is considerably increased from usually 20% at the beginning to 80% under stable condition. Overall, OMBR process has great potential to be applied for simultaneous bioenergy production and wastewater treatment.

Application of Zwitterions in Forward Osmosis: A Short Review

Forward osmosis (FO) is an important desalination method to produce potable water. It was also used to treat different wastewater streams, including industrial as well as municipal wastewater. Though FO is environmentally benign, energy intensive, and highly efficient; it still suffers from four types of fouling namely: organic fouling, inorganic scaling, biofouling and colloidal fouling or a combination of these types of fouling. Membrane fouling may require simple shear force and physical cleaning for sufficient recovery of membrane performance. Severe fouling may need chemical cleaning, especially when a slimy biofilm or severe microbial colony is formed. Modification of FO membrane through introducing zwitterionic moieties on the membrane surface has been proven to enhance antifouling property. In addition, it could also significantly improve the separation efficiency and longevity of the membrane. Zwitterion moieties can also incorporate in draw solution as electrolytes in FO process. It could be in a form of a monomer or a polymer. Hence, this review comprehensively discussed several methods of inclusion of zwitterionic moieties in FO membrane. These methods include atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP); second interfacial polymerization (SIP); coating and in situ formation. Furthermore, an attempt was made to understand the mechanism of improvement in FO performance by zwitterionic moieties. Finally, the future prospective of the application of zwitterions in FO has been discussed.

Forward osmosis with direct contact membrane distillation using tetrabutylphosphonium p-toluenesulfonate as an effective and safe thermo-recyclable osmotic agent for seawater desalination

A phosphonium-based ionic liquid (IL) with lower critical solution temperature (LCST) property was assessed as a reusable draw solution (DS) for forward osmosis (FO). Tetrabutylphosphonium p-toluenesulfonate ([P4444]TsO) was successfully synthesized by neutralization reaction. Characterization results reveal its ability to generate sufficient osmotic pressure (14-68 bars for 0.5-2 M DS) to create a gradient across the FO membrane. Its thermal, physico-chemical and other colligative properties are favorable for its application as an osmotic agent. The LCST behavior of [P4444]TsO was found reversible and its phase separation from water can be done above its cloud point temperature T_c ∼57 °C. In vitro cytotoxicity tests from LDH and MTT assay reveal that it can be safely used as DS at an effective concentration EC₃₀ ∼57 mg L^-1 as its non-toxic level. Results from FO operations demonstrate that 2 M [P4444]TsO DS can effectively treat saline feed like seawater (0.6 M NaCl) with reasonable J_v = 1.35 ± 0.15 L m^-2h^-1, low J_s = 0.0038 ± 0.00049 mol m^-2h^-1, and considerably low specific solute flux (J_s/J_v ∼ 0.0028 mol L^-1). After FO, ∼98% of [P4444]TsO was precipitated by heating the DS at 60 °C and conveniently reused with consistent FO performance. Direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) was found effective in removing the residual 2% [P4444]TsO in the DS supernatant to finally produce high-quality effluent with concentrations way below the EC₃₀ limit. Cost estimates for the entire process reveal the potential of FO combined with thermo-cyclic [P4444]TsO regeneration with DCMD for desalination application.

Seawater Desalination: A Review of Forward Osmosis Technique, Its Challenges, and Future Prospects

Currently over 845 million people are believed to be living under severe water scarcity, and an estimated 2.8 billion people across the globe are projected to come under serious water scarcity by the year 2025, according to a United Nations (UN) report. Seawater desalination has gained more traction as the solution with the most potential for increasing global freshwater supplies amongst other solutions. However, the economic and energy costs associated with the major desalination technologies are considered intrinsically prohibitive largely due to their humongous energy requirements alongside the requirements of complex equipment and their maintenance in most cases. Whilst forward osmosis (FO) is being touted as a potentially more energy efficient and cost-effective alternative desalination technique, its efficiency is challenged by draw solutes and the draw solutes recovery step in FO applications alongside other challenges. This paper looks at the present situation of global water scarcity, and a brief leap into the major desalination technologies employed. A closer look at the key drivers of FO as a seawater desalination technique in their individual domain and its outlook as an technology are further highlighted.

A Bifunctional Zwitterion That Serves as Both a Membrane Modifier and a Draw Solute for Forward Osmosis Wastewater Treatment

Producing clean water and simultaneously recovering valuable compounds are a big challenge in wastewater treatment. Here we designed a bifunctional zwitterion of (1-(3-aminopropyl)imidazole) propanesulfonate (APIS) for membrane modification and being a draw solute as well for water production and protein enrichment via forward osmosis (FO). Immobilized to the membrane surface by a fast amidation reaction, APIS endows the membrane with favorable properties benefiting the FO process. The APIS-modified sulfonated poly(ether sulfone) (APIS-sPES) membrane produces a water flux 101% higher than that of the nascent membrane (from 9.3 to 18.7 LMH) with 0.5 M NaCl as the draw solution. The APIS-sPES membrane also exhibits higher fouling resistance with a much smaller decline in water permeation and stronger renewability with the flux restored to 88% of the original value compared to a 59% recovery rate of the nascent membrane after 20-h experiments against a 200 ppm ovalbumin solution. APIS produces a fair good water flux coupled with negligible reverse diffusion when used as a draw solute and can be readily regenerated via pH regulation. Unlike the conventional NaCl draw solute, APIS does not contaminate or damage protein structure. The APIS-sPES membrane and APIS draw solute prove a perfect match in protein-containing wastewater treatment and protein enrichment.

Thermo-responsive draw solute for forward osmosis process; poly(ionic liquid) having lower critical solution temperature characteristics

A poly(ionic liquid) having lower critical solution temperature characteristics was synthesized to investigate its suitability as a draw solute for forward osmosis.

Recovery of organic matters in wastewater by self-forming dynamic membrane bioreactor: Performance and membrane fouling

Formation process and fouling characteristics of the dynamic membrane were studied in a modified self-forming dynamic membrane bioreactor (SF-DMBR) for recovering the organic matters in wastewater, and the performance of this SF-DMBR was investigated. Results indicated that 80% of the organic matters in wastewater could be quickly recovered under continuous operation. Furthermore, the evolutions of the fouling components were determined during the formation and development processes of dynamic membrane. After the long-term operation, the decreases of protein concentration, accompanying with the increases of polysaccharides and microorganisms contents due to special operating conditions, were interestingly observed in the sludge of membrane surface. This could explain why membrane fouling was much weak. Therefore, though high membrane fluxes at 50-150 L/(m²·h) were adopted in this study, the reactor can still obtain a long-term stable operation and the operating cycle reached as long as 8 days. Finally, membrane fouling process was described by combined models.

Exploration of an innovative draw solution for a forward osmosis-membrane distillation desalination process

Forward osmosis (FO) has emerged as a viable technology to alleviate the global water crisis. The greatest challenge facing the application of FO technology is the lack of an ideal draw solution with high water flux and low reverse salt flux. Hence, the objective of this study was to enhance FO by lowering reverse salt flux and maintaining high water flux; the method involved adding small concentrations of Al₂(SO₄)₃ to a MgCl₂ draw solution. Results showed that 0.5 M MgCl₂ mixed with 0.05 M of Al₂(SO₄)₃ at pH 6.5 achieved a lower reverse salt flux (0.53 gMH) than that of pure MgCl₂ (1.55 gMH) using an FO cellulose triacetate nonwoven (CTA-NW) membrane. This was due possibly to the flocculation of aluminum hydroxide in the mixed draw solution that constricted membrane pores, resulting in reduced salt diffusion. Moreover, average water fluxes of 4.09 and 1.74 L/m²-h (LMH) were achieved over 180 min, respectively, when brackish water (5 g/L) and sea water (35 g/L) were used as feed solutions. Furthermore, three types of membrane distillation (MD) membranes were selected for draw solution recovery; of these, a polytetrafluoroethylene membrane with a pore size of 0.45 μm proved to be the most effective in achieving a high salt rejection (99.90%) and high water flux (5.41 LMH) in a diluted draw solution.

Preparation and assessment of carboxylate polyelectrolyte as draw solute for forward osmosis

Reverse draw solute diffusion not only reduces the water flux in forward osmosis (FO), but also contaminates the feed solution and eventually increases the regeneration cost of draw solution. In the present study, a new polyelectrolyte was synthesized as FO draw solute to address this problem. Acrylic acid and sodium p-styrenesulfonate monomers with hydrophilic group were used to fabricate carboxylate polyelectrolyte through free radical polymerization reaction. Results demonstrated that the osmotic pressure of carboxylate polyelectrolyte solution had a good linear relationship with concentration, and the viscosity of 0.18 g/mL solution was less than 5.4 cP. Active layer facing draw solution produced the initial water flux of 11.77 LMH and active layer facing feed solution yielded the initial water flux of 6.68 LMH when the concentration of draw solution was 0.18 g/mL. The reverse solute flux was around 1 gMH, and specific reverse solute flux of 0.18 g/mL carboxylate polyelectrolyte draw solution was 0.11 g/L which was much lower than that of traditional inorganic salts. Finally, diluted draw solution was regenerated via ultrafiltration, and the recovery efficiency of 94.78% was achieved. So, carboxylate polyelectrolyte can be suitable draw solute for FO.

A novel forward osmosis system in landfill leachate treatment for removing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and for direct fertigation

Landfill leachate (LL) is harmful to aquatic environment because it contains high concentrations of dissolved organic matter, inorganic components, heavy metals, and other xenobiotics. Thus, the remediation of LL is crucial for environmental conservation. Here, a potential application of the forward osmosis (FO) filtration process with ammonium bicarbonate (NH₄HCO₃) as a draw solution (DS) was investigated to remediate membrane bioreactor-treated LL (M-LL). After the leachate treatment, the toxicity and removal efficiencies of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were evaluated using zebrafish and cultured human cells. The water recovery rate was improved using the current protocol up to 86.6% and 91.6% by both the pressure retarded osmosis (PRO) mode and the forward osmosis (FO) mode. Water flux increased with the increasing DS concentrations, but solution velocities decreased with the operation time. Toxicity tests revealed that the M-LL treated by NH₄HCO₃ had no toxic effect on zebrafish and human cells. Moreover, green fluorescent protein (GFP) expression in the transgenic zebrafish Tg(cyp1a:gfp) induced by PAHs was very weak compared to the effects induced by untreated M-LL. Since the diluted DS met local safety requirements of liquid fertilizer, it could be directly applied as the liquid fertilizer for fertigation. In conclusion, this novel FO system using NH₄HCO₃ as the DS provides a cheap and efficient protocol to effectively remove PAHs and other pollutants in LL, and the diluted DS can be directly applied to crops as a liquid fertilizer, indicating that this technique is effective and eco-friendly for the treatment of different types of LL.

Zwitterionic polymers showing upper critical solution temperature behavior as draw solutes for forward osmosis

We investigated the suitability of homopolymer with UCST characteristics as draw solutes for the FO process for the first time.

Synthesis and Application of Organic Phosphonate Salts as Draw Solutes in Forward Osmosis for Oil-Water Separation

The development of suitable draw solution in forward osmosis (FO) process has attracted the growing attention for water treatment purpose. In this study, a series of organic phosphonate salts (OPSs) are synthesized by one-step Mannich-like reaction, confirmed by FTIR and NMR characterizations, and applied as novel draw solutes in FO applications. Their solution properties including osmotic pressures and viscosities, as well as their FO performance as a function of the solution concentration are investigated systematically. In FO process, a higher water flux of 47-54 LMH and a negligible reverse solute flux can be achieved in the PRO (AL-DS) mode (active layer faces the draw solution) using a homemade thin-film composite membrane (PSF-TFC) and deionized water as the feed solution. Among all OPS draw solutes, the tetraethylenepentamine heptakis(methylphosphonic) sodium salt (TPHMP-Na) exhibits the best FO flux at 0.5 mol/kg concentration, which is further applied for the separation of emulsified oil-water mixture. The recovery of diluted OPS solutions is carried out via a nanofiltration (NF) system with a rejection above 92%. The aforementioned features show the great potential of OPS compounds as a novel class of draw solutes for FO applications.

Factors governing the pre-concentration of wastewater using forward osmosis for subsequent resource recovery

This study demonstrated a technique using forward osmosis (FO) to pre-concentrate the organic matter in raw wastewater, thereby transforming low strength wastewater into an anaerobically digestible solution. The chemical oxygen demand (COD) of raw wastewater was concentrated up to approximately eightfold at a water recovery of 90%. Thus, even low strength wastewater could be pre-concentrated by FO to the range suitable for biogas production via anaerobic treatment. Excessive salinity accumulation in pre-concentrated wastewater was successfully mitigated by adopting ionic organic draw solutes, namely, sodium acetate, and EDTA-2Na. These two draw solutes are also expected to benefit the digestibility of the pre-concentrated wastewater compared to the commonly used draw solute sodium chloride. Significant membrane fouling was observed when operating at 90% water recovery using raw wastewater. Nevertheless, membrane fouling was reversible and was effectively controlled by optimising the hydrodynamic conditions of the cross-flow FO system.

Toxicological characterization of a novel wastewater treatment process using EDTA-Na2Zn as draw solution (DS) for the efficient treatment of MBR-treated landfill leachate

Landfill leachate has become an important source of environmental pollution in past decades, due to the increase of waste volume. Acute toxic and genotoxic hazards to organisms can be caused by landfill leachate. Thus, how to efficiently recover water from landfill leachate and effectively eliminate combined toxicity of landfill leachate are the most pressing issues in waste management. In this study, EDTA-Na2Zn as draw solution (DS) was used to remove the toxicity of membrane bioreactor-treated landfill leachate (MBR-treated landfill leachate) in forward osmosis (FO) process, and nanofiltration (NF) was designed for recovering the diluted DS. Zebrafish and human cells were used for toxicity assay after the novel wastewater treatment process using EDTA-Na2Zn as DS. Results showed that the water recovery rate of MBR-treated landfill leachate (M-LL) in FO membrane system could achieve 66.5% and 71.2% in the PRO and FO mode respectively, and the diluted DS could be efficiently recovered by NF. Toxicity tests performed by using zebrafish and human cells showed that M-LL treated by EDTA-Na2Zn had no toxicity effect on zebrafish larvae and human cells, but it had very slight effect on zebrafish embryos. In conclusion, all results indicated that EDTA-Na2Zn as DS can effectively eliminate toxicity of landfill leachate and this method is economical and eco-friendly for treatment of different types of landfill leachate.

Mesoporous Silica Gel-Based Mixed Matrix Membranes for Improving Mass Transfer in Forward Osmosis: Effect of Pore Size of Filler

The efficiency of forward osmosis (FO) process is generally limited by the internal concentration polarization (ICP) of solutes inside its porous substrate. In this study, mesoporous silica gel (SG) with nominal pore size ranging from 4–30 nm was used as fillers to prepare SG-based mixed matrix substrates. The resulting mixed matrix membranes had significantly reduced structural parameter and enhanced membrane water permeability as a result of the improved surface porosity of the substrates. An optimal filler pore size of ~9 nm was observed. This is in direct contrast to the case of thin film nanocomposite membranes, where microporous nanoparticle fillers are loaded to the membrane rejection layer and are designed in such a way that these fillers are able to retain solutes while allowing water to permeate through them. In the current study, the mesoporous fillers are designed as channels to both water and solute molecules. FO performance was enhanced at increasing filler pore size up to 9 nm due to the lower hydraulic resistance of the fillers. Nevertheless, further increasing filler pore size to 30 nm was accompanied with reduced FO efficiency, which can be attributed to the intrusion of polymer dope into the filler pores.

Selection of forward osmosis draw solutes for subsequent integration with anaerobic treatment to facilitate resource recovery from wastewater

Forward osmosis (FO) can be used to extract clean water and pre-concentrate municipal wastewater to make it amenable to anaerobic treatment. A protocol was developed to assess the suitability of FO draw solutes for pre-concentrating wastewater for potential integration with anaerobic treatment to facilitate resource recovery from wastewater. Draw solutes were evaluated in terms of their ability to induce osmotic pressure, water flux, and reverse solute flux. The compatibility of each draw solute with subsequent anaerobic treatment was assessed by biomethane potential analysis. The effect of each draw solute (at concentrations corresponding to the reverse solute flux at ten-fold pre-concentration of wastewater) on methane production was also evaluated. The results show that ionic organic draw solutes (e.g., sodium acetate) were most suitable for FO application and subsequent anaerobic treatment. On the other hand, the reverse solute flux of inorganic draw solutions could inhibit methane production from FO pre-concentrated wastewater.

Exploration of using thermally responsive polyionic liquid hydrogels as draw agents in forward osmosis

Thermally responsive hydrogels based on ionic liquid monomers were prepared by bulk polymerization in the presence of a crosslinker, and explored as draw agents in forward osmosis for the first time.

Magnetic thermoresponsive ionic nanogels as novel draw agents in forward osmosis

Magnetic thermosensitive ionic nanogels were prepared based on strong ionic monomer AMPS and thermosensitive monomer NIPAM via precipitation polymerization in the presence of Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles and investigated as draw solutes in FO.

Forward osmosis for application in wastewater treatment: a review

Research in the field of Forward Osmosis (FO) membrane technology has grown significantly over the last 10 years, but its application in the scope of wastewater treatment has been slower. Drinking water is becoming an increasingly marginal resource. Substituting drinking water for alternate water sources, specifically for use in industrial processes, may alleviate the global water stress. FO has the potential to sustainably treat wastewater sources and produce high quality water. FO relies on the osmotic pressure difference across the membrane to extract clean water from the feed, however the FO step is still mostly perceived as a "pre-treatment" process. To prompt FO-wastewater feasibility, the focus lies with new membrane developments, draw solutions to enhance wastewater treatment and energy recovery, and operating conditions. Optimisation of these parameters are essential to mitigate fouling, decrease concentration polarisation and increase FO performance; issues all closely related to one another. This review attempts to define the steps still required for FO to reach full-scale potential in wastewater treatment and water reclamation by discussing current novelties, bottlenecks and future perspectives of FO technology in the wastewater sector.