Provided herein is forward osmosis-based water purification process, that includes contacting a solution of a soluble draw agent with a dehydrated insoluble draw agent, separating the now hydrated insoluble draw agent from the now concentrated draw solution, and exerting a stimulus on the hydrated insoluble draw agent for extracting water therefrom, thereby regenerating a dehydrated insoluble draw agent, wherein the osmotic concentration (osmolality) of the insoluble draw agent is greater than the osmotic concentration of the diluted draw solution, and the insoluble draw agent is impermeable to the soluble draw agent.

A fluid system includes a membrane module including a first section and a second section that are separated by a semipermeable membrane, a feed pump connected to the first section, a draw pump connected to the second section, a load connected to the second section, a flush valve, and an electronic control unit (ECU) configured to control one or more of the feed pump, the draw pump, the flush valve, and the load. The ECU may be configured to control the feed pump, the draw pump, the flush valve, and/or the load according based on or according to net power generation.

A device for controlling acidity of electrolytes and the oxidation states or concentrations of selected constituents for treatment of liquid media using electricity for electrochemical separation and regeneration of forward osmosis draw solutions includes a FO unit arranged for osmotic solvent separation from a feed water stream, and an electrochemical solvent separation and draw solution regeneration unit incorporating an electrochemical cell, arranged to use diluted draw solutions to generate a concentrated draw solution, a TPW stream and an osmotic agent. The concentrated draw solution may be arranged to reenter the forward osmosis unit.

The present disclosure is directed to a forward osmosis system/process utilized primarily in conjunction with a subsurface irrigation system/process. Saline wastewater or naturally saline water is treated using forward osmosis membranes that draw at least partially purified water from the wastewater into an osmotic draw solution (draw solution). The resulting diluted osmotic draw solution is then circulated through the subsurface irrigation system including one or more tubular membranes that reject the draw solution while permitting water in the diluted draw solution to pass through.

A method of treating a liquid. The method comprises providing a feed liquid comprising at least one solvent and at least one solute to a first side of a membrane. A single-phase draw solution comprising at least one of an aminium salt, an amidinium salt, and a guanidinium salt is provided to a second side of the membrane. The at least one solvent is osmosed across the membrane and into the single-phase draw solution to form a diluted single-phase draw solution. At least one of CO.sub.2, CS.sub.2, and COS is removed from the diluted single-phase draw solution to form a first multiple-phase solution comprising a first liquid phase comprising the at least one solvent, and a second liquid phase comprising at least one of an amine compound, an amidine compound, and a guanidine compound. A liquid purification system is also described.

Disclosed herein is a solar thermal osmosis desalination system comprising a forward osmosis subsystem and a reverse osmosis subsystem where the forward osmosis subsystem is configured to receive solar thermal heat and generate power that can be used to operate the reverse osmosis subsystem.

One or more novel processes for producing hydrogen, oxygen, and in some cases, distilled and cleaned water from a contaminated effluent, are disclosed. In one example of utilizing this novel process, the water from contaminated effluent is transferred into a draw solution using an entrochemical system through a vapor-mediated forward osmosis process. The process is enabled by the generation of a wet vacuum in one or more entrochemical cells incorporated into the entrochemical system. This process generates a diluted draw solution that can be utilized as an abundant water feedstock in an electrolyzer for electrolysis, which in turn generates hydrogen and oxygen. In some embodiments, an entrochemical distiller may also be utilized to distill a portion of the contaminated effluent for clean water as a result of thermal transfers during the vapor-mediated forward osmosis process. mediated forward osmosis process.

Separation processes using osmotically driven membrane systems are disclosed generally involving the extraction of solvent from a first solution to concentrate solute by using a second concentrated solution to draw the solvent from the first solution across a semi-permeable membrane.

The invention relates to repairing and/or modifying a surface of a membrane in osmotically driven membrane systems by the introduction of one or more substances to the membrane.

A method of treating a liquid. The method comprises providing a feed liquid comprising at least one solvent and at least one solute to a first side of a membrane. A single-phase draw solution comprising at least one of an aminium salt, an amidinium salt, and a guanidinium salt is provided to a second side of the membrane. The at least one solvent is osmosed across the membrane and into the single-phase draw solution to form a diluted single-phase draw solution. At least one of CO.sub.2, CS.sub.2, and COS is removed from the diluted single-phase draw solution to form a first multiple-phase solution comprising a first liquid phase comprising the at least one solvent, and a second liquid phase comprising at least one of an amine compound, an amidine compound, and a guanidine compound. A liquid purification system is also described.