(27b) Engineered Osmosis: A Rapidly Emerging Separation Technology Platform

The shortage of energy and water resources is a grand challenge facing humanity in the 21^st century. Engineered osmosis (EO) technologies have been increasingly investigated as an alternative means of sustainable water and energy production. These membrane technologies exploit the gradient of osmotic pressure between a dilute feed solution and a concentrated draw solution as a driving force for water treatment (forward osmosis) and electricity generation (pressure retarded osmosis).  This tutorial will provide an overview of this rapidly emerging membrane separations area. Among the highlighted topics will be a detailed description of each EO process, promised benefits through replacement of or hybridization with existing separation processes, and the obstacles to successful development. This talk will also consist of a general overview of how these obstacles are being addressed in academic and industrial groups around the world.