CONCENTRATION AND PRESSURE DEPENDENCE OF RATE OF MEMBRANE PERMEATION

The permeation of water and sodium chloride in cellulose acetate membranes has been examined over a wide range of concentration and pressure. The results obtained from reverse osmosis experiments have been used to evaluate relations derived on the assumption that permeation of both solution components takes place by diffusion down a concentration gradient in the membrane. With the aid of equilibrium and raidoactive tracer measurements, most of the deviations could be attributed to nonconstancy of the diffusion, and, especially, the distribution coefficients of water. A comparison of the net flux in reverse osmosis with the rate of tracer permeation in the same membrane provided positive evidence to show that hydrodynamic flow under pressure cannot account for the water flux through the membrane. Differences in the shape of the distribution isotherms for salt and water between solution and membrane provide an explanation for the high selectivity of cellulose acetate membranes in favor of water. Copyright © 1968 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.