Interaction effects in multicomponent separation by reverse osmosis

Separation of multicomponent mixtures, in particular ternary systems, was i nvestigated theoretically and experimentally. The interactions in various m ulticomponent mixtures were determined. Using data from literature as well as the limited data obtained in our laboratory, we identified the situation s where the multicomponent effects are strong. A correlation between the co upled permeability coefficients and straight permeability coefficients and concentration of components in ternary systems was obtained. Capabilities o f thermodynamic models in describing the electrolyte-nonelectrolyte systems consisting of a weak acid were also investigated. The results of this work show that the multicomponent effects can be used in improving the separati on properties of membranes. The findings of this study may be applied to se veral processes including recovery of small amounts of metals from wastes, separation of ionic compounds from organic, and separation of weak and stro ng electrolytes. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.