Development of a Pilot-Scale Forward-Osmosis Desalination Process

A pilot-scale forward-osmosis (FO) desalination system is designed to produce 3 ton per day of fresh water. In the front part of the system, fresh water is permeated from the feed, or seawater, to the draw solution in membrane modules. Subsequently, the draw solute is separated from water to produce the potable water in a membrane, or a column distillation system. The concentration of draw solution is designed with considering the capability of separation systems. The capacity of the separation systems is determined to enable treating the amount of draw solution required for target production of fresh water. The developed system is examined in performance tests. The results contribute to assessing the feasibility of forward-osmosis desalination systems.