The early history of reverse osmosis membrane development

The birth of pressure driven membrane desalination took place nearly 100 years ago. Early developments in this technology remain shrouded in some mystery, especially with respect to application of the osmotic phenomenon to desalination. Existing literature is also somewhat confused regarding first usage of the term "reverse osmosis". A comprehensive review of early literature is presented in this paper in an effort to resolve some of these interesting questions. The unique feature of this review, as contrasted to several others, is inclusion of previously unpublished reports and experimental data. These documents, dating back to 1950, will reveal surprising insights into the origin of present-day technology now known as reverse osmosis.