Osmotic desalination methods and associated systems

US10518221B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Gradiant Corporation · US

Inventors

• Looh Tchuin Choong · Somerville, US
• Prakash Narayan Govindan · Melrose, US
• Maximus G. St. John · Boston, US
• Steven Lam · Singapore, SG
• Jonn-Ross Andrews · Somerville, US
• Karim M. Chehayeb · Beirut, LB

Key dates

• Filing date: Jul 29, 2016
• Grant date: Dec 31, 2019
• Expiry date: Sep 1, 2036

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y02A20/131
• WIPO field: Chemical engineering
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

Provided herein are osmotic desalination methods and associated systems. According to certain embodiments, multiple osmotic membranes may be used to perform a series of osmosis steps, such that an output stream having a relatively high water purity—compared to a water purity of an aqueous feed stream—is produced. In some embodiments, multiple draw streams can be used to produce aqueous product streams having sequentially higher purities of water. Certain embodiments are related to osmotic desalination systems and methods in which forward osmosis is used to produce a first product stream having a relatively high water purity relative to an aqueous feed stream, and reverse osmosis is used to perform a second step (and/or additional steps) on the first product stream. In some embodiments, multiple reverse osmosis steps can be used in series to perform a net desalination process.