Evaluation of sodium lignin sulfonate as draw solute in forward osmosis for desert restoration

Jintang Duan, Eric Litwiller, Seung Hak Choi, Ingo Pinnau

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

81 Scopus citations

Abstract

Sodium lignin sulfonate (NaLS), an abundant waste product of paper manufacturing, can be used in desert restoration. Combined with water and applied on arid land, NaLS has been shown to stabilize sand and provide a medium for plant growth. Here, we demonstrate that NaLS is an efficient draw solute in forward osmosis (FO) to extract water from impaired sources. The osmotic pressure of a 600. g. NaLS/kg water solution is 78. bar (7.8 MPa) as measured by freezing point depression. The FO performance using NaLS draw solute was evaluated with commercial FO membranes under various test conditions. The effects of draw solute concentration, feed salinity and membrane orientation were systematically investigated. Potential ways to optimize the process, e.g. combining fertilizer draw solutes and NaLS, are proposed. © 2013 Elsevier B.V.
Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)463-470
Number of pages8
JournalJournal of Membrane Science
Volume453
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 2014

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Biochemistry
  • Filtration and Separation
  • General Materials Science
  • Physical and Theoretical Chemistry

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