Abstract
A new type of hydrous zirconium oxide dynamically formed membrane was used in the reverse osmosis process instead of cellulose acetate which is currently used in industry. A cell was constructed to accommodate this membrane. Various experiments were carried out to explore the technical feasibility of the hydrous zirconium oxide dynamically formed membrane. The main items under investigation were membrane surface density, concentration polarization, pressure and feed concentration variations, membrane porous supports, colour rejections of organic materials and protein extractions from cheese whey. Each item was investigated in detail for the effect of solute rejections and water permeation across the membranes. Inorganic feed solutions (such as sodium chloride, lithium chloride and magnesium chloride) and organic feed solutions (such as colour compounds, milk and cheese whey) were considered. This membrane rejected salt from inorganic solutions having a concentration up to 1200 ppm. Above this concentration the rejection diminished considerably. Better observed salt rejections (Ro) were obtained when the concentration polarization effect, at the membrane surface was eliminated, using higher feed flow rates and with an accumulator being installed in the apparatus. The general equations for salt flux, water flux across the membrane and concentration polarization (modified) effects have been derived by several methods. Dynamically formed membranes were found to be very successful in obtaining colour rejections of many organic materials and for protein extraction from cheese whey. These aspects have not been previously explored.