摘要 |
A hydrophobic semi-permeable membrane process (e.g., using hydrophobic microporous hollow fibers) for the concentration of a dilute solution of low osmotic pressure by osmotic distillation (also known as membrane distillation or membrane evaporation), which is a separation process using as its driving force the difference in the osmotic pressure between two fluids (e.g., fruit juice and seawater) separated by a hydrophobic semi-permeable membrane to achieve a concentration of the fluid having the lower osmotic pressure (e.g., fruit juice). When coupled with reverse osmosis means there is provided a method for recovery of solvent (e.g., potable water) from the process, e.g., desalination of seawater. A process is also provided to recover part of the energy available between the two fluids i.e., between two different potential energies, due to the difference in osmotic pressure between the two fluids. |