Abstract
Reverse osmosis (RO) is a pressure driven membrane process which has been recognized as the leading technology widely applied for seawater desalination and water reclamation. Advancements over the 30years in RO technology including advanced membrane fabrication, membrane module and process design and optimization, installation of energy recovery devices, and the use of more efficient pumps, etc., have led to significant improvement in separation performance, dramatic energy reduction in RO process and brought in more commercial applications. This chapter aims to provide a fundamental understanding on RO technology, address the main challenges of this technology as well as its wide applications. In specific, it firstly introduces the historic development of RO technology and the basic properties of RO membranes, followed by the elaborations of various membrane fabrication and characterization methods and module/process design. The key challenging issues encountered in RO applications such as concentration polarization and membrane fouling are highlighted with provisions of mitigation and control strategies, followed by a summary of various RO applications.
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