Efficiency of L-DOPA+TiO2 Modified RO Membrane on Salinity Gradient Energy Generation by Pressure Retarded Osmosis

Abstract

Harvesting energy from the salinity gradient of seawater and river water using pressure retarded osmosis (PRO) has been a major research topic of recent years. However, there is a need for efficient PRO membranes that can generate high power density and are pressure resistant, as the performance of current membranes on the market is poor. In this study, specific energy potential of PRO process using LDOPA+TiO2 modified BW30-LE membrane was evaluated on synthetic and real water samples. Polyamide BW30-LE RO membrane was modified by L-DOPA, L-DOPA+0.5 wt% TiO2 and L-DOPA+1 wt% TiO2. The effect of hydraulic pressure and temperature on generation of power density were evaluated for 5, 10, and 15 bar pressures, as well as 10 degrees C, 20 degrees C, and 30 degrees C degrees. The incorporation of TiO2 nanoparticles with L-DOPA increased the water flux by increasing the surface hydrophilicity and roughness of the membrane surface. The maximum specific power was observed as 1.6 W/m(2) for L-DOPA+1 wt% TiO2 modified BW30-LE membrane at 15 bar pressure. Besides, Mediterranean and Aegean, Black Sea water samples were used as draw solution and Seyhan, Ceyhan, Buyuk Menderes, Gediz, Yesilirmak, and Kizilirmak Rivers were used as feed solution. The highest osmotic power density was obtained by using L-DOPA+1 wt% TiO2 modified BW30-LE membrane with Ceyhan River as feed and Mediterranean Sea water as draw solution, which have the highest differences in salinity. In the mixture of Mediterranean and Ceyhan River, the highest power density was obtained at 10 bar pressure at 30 +/- 5 degrees C with 0.70 W/m(2).