Abstract
Global energy consumption has been highly dependent on fossil fuels which cause severe climate change and, therefore, the exploration of new technologies to produce effective renewable energy plays an important role in the world. Pressure-retarded osmosis (PRO) is one of the promising candidates to reduce the reliance on fossil fuels by harnessing energy from the salinity gradient between seawater and fresh water. In PRO, water is transported though a semi-permeable membrane from a low-concentrated feed solution to a high-concentrated draw solution. The increased volumetric water flow then runs a hydro-turbine to generate power. PRO technology has rapidly improved in recent years; however, the commercial-scale PRO plant is yet to be developed. In this context, recent developments on the PRO process are reviewed in terms of mathematical models, membrane modules, process designs, numerical works, and fouling and cleaning. In addition, the research requirements to accelerate PRO commercialization are discussed. It is expected that this article can help comprehensively understand the PRO process and thereby provide essential information to activate further research and development.
Highlights
To date, global energy consumption significantly relies on fossil fuels which are closely related to carbon emissions, resulting in an increase of climate change
The composition of the porous support layer fabricated using non-solvent-induced phase separation to minimize internal concentration polarization (ICP) is the basis of technologies developed in 2011 to make PA thin-film composite (TFC) membranes, with membrane performance being improved with the presence of both finger-like and sponge-like structures in the support layer [23]
In 2012, a TFC hollow-fiber membrane with a polyethersulfone (PES) support and PA active layer in the lumen side was first introduced [32], and in 2013, the performance was significantly increased by improving the mechanically strengthened support layer fabricated using a PEI polymer to produce TFC
Summary
Global energy consumption significantly relies on fossil fuels which are closely related to carbon emissions, resulting in an increase of climate change. Based on recent advances in the technological and economic improvement of membrane technologies, PRO has re-emerged as a potentially viable energy option, and lab-scale to pilot-scale demonstrations have actively been conducted. The feasibility of PRO in Australia was explored based on different combinations of feed and draw solutions by reflecting the source water qualities and the government policies [14]. Despite this increasing attention and the rapid advancements of the PRO process, several challenges still remain before PRO can reach the commercial stage. This review paper can provide comprehensive information to promote the further PRO developments
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