US 12,221,365 B2
Method for concentrating aqueous solution with low energy by using reverse osmosis and forward osmosis in state in which multiple-no osmotic pressure difference is induced
Ho Nam Chang, Seoul (KR); Yoon Seok Chang, Seoul (KR); and Nam Uook Kim, Gyeonggi-do (KR)
Assigned to SEEBIO INC., Seoul (KR)
Appl. No. 17/438,060
Filed by SEEBIO INC., Seoul (KR)
PCT Filed Mar. 16, 2020, PCT No. PCT/KR2020/003595
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Sep. 10, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/189999, PCT Pub. Date Sep. 24, 2020.
Claims priority of application No. 10-2019-0029757 (KR), filed on Mar. 15, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0204364 A1, Jun. 30, 2022
Int. Cl. C02F 1/44 (2023.01); B01D 61/00 (2006.01); B01D 61/02 (2006.01); B01D 61/12 (2006.01); B01D 61/58 (2006.01); C02F 103/08 (2006.01)
CPC C02F 1/445 (2013.01) [B01D 61/002 (2013.01); B01D 61/025 (2013.01); B01D 61/12 (2013.01); B01D 61/58 (2013.01); C02F 1/441 (2013.01); B01D 2311/08 (2013.01); B01D 2311/20 (2013.01); B01D 2311/2523 (2022.08); B01D 2317/08 (2013.01); C02F 2103/08 (2013.01); C02F 2209/03 (2013.01); C02F 2209/40 (2013.01)] 8 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of concentrating a solute-containing solution under a Δπ reduction condition in a feed output split counter-current (FOS-CC) manner, comprising using a zero osmotic pressure difference concentrator including a multiple zero osmotic pressure difference chamber and an external reservoir (ER),
wherein the multiple zero osmotic pressure difference chamber comprises a feed chamber, an osmotic equalizer chamber (OE chamber), and an osmotic membrane disposed between the feed chamber and the osmotic equalizer chamber, and
a ratio of a velocity of the osmotic equalizer chamber (OE-vel) to a velocity of the feed chamber (F-vel) satisfies Equation 1 below;
F-vel/OE-vel=1/n  Equation 1:
wherein a part (Q1) of a concentrated solution is output from the multiple zero osmotic pressure difference chamber, and another part (Q2) thereof is recycled in a counter-current direction to the feed to the osmotic equalizer chamber of the multiple zero osmotic pressure difference chamber, wherein a velocity of the recycling (OE-Vel) is higher than a velocity of the output (F-Vel), wherein n is a real number from 2 to 40,
a sum of Q1 and Q2 is equal to a total weight of the solution concentrated in the multiple zero osmotic pressure difference chamber,
F-vel is an output velocity of Q1, and
OE-vel is a recycle velocity of Q2,
wherein using the zero osmotic pressure difference concentrator comprises:
(i) transferring the solute-containing aqueous solution to the feed chamber of the zero osmotic pressure difference chamber, feeding a solution having the same osmotic pressure as the aqueous solution transferred to the feed chamber to the osmotic equalizer chamber to form a zero osmotic pressure state between the feed chamber and the osmotic equalizer chamber; and
(ii) transferring water from the aqueous solution to the osmotic equalizer chamber by applying a pressure of 10 to 100 atm to the feed chamber through the osmotic membrane in the zero osmotic pressure state to concentrate the aqueous solution, and
wherein the external reservoir stores the solution output from the osmotic equalizer chamber in the counter-current direction.