Investigating the Development of Hybrid Solution-Diffusion and Film Theory Method in Forward Osmosis Membrane Modeling

Process simulation, in both laboratory and industrial scales, is a method that, if it be capable enough to close the gap between the computational results and the operational results, it can help to understand and optimize these processes. The basis of valid simulation is the knowledge of the models and equations related to the physio-chemical properties and the ability to review and reduce the limiting assumptions of the process under investigation. For the mathematical modeling of mass transfer phenomena through the membrane, different models with various efficiency and accuracy are presented. According to the basic concepts of solution-diffusion theory, this theory has the potential to simulate osmotic membrane processes, including forward osmosis, as a desalination process. In this paper, an overview on the development of mathematical models for forward osmosis and how to determine its parameters by the empirical method is presented. The results showed that the Bui et al. model is the complete model for calculating water flux by considering all different external and internal concentration polarization types. On the other hand, the main parameters of the membrane (water and solute permeability and structural parameter) can be calculated by numerical calculations and experimental results using the proposed Tiraferri et al. method.