Draw agent in forward osmosis based on EDTA

Forward osmosis(FO) was a natural process without the input of external energy.It was a potential technique for the development of new technology for seawater desalination,power generation by pressure-retarded osmosis and most importantly as osmotic engine for controlled release.For the development of highly effective draw system,the use of ethylendiaminetetraacetic acid(EDTA) as draw solute was investigated and its performance in FO process using reverse osmosis membrane was evaluated.A flux of 13.6 L/(m2·h) was found on a draw concentration of 0.5 mol/L.Results showed that EDTA had a higher draw efficiency than NaCl.