Norway pilot plant produces electric power from the osmotic energy produced when fresh and salt water are separated by a membrane.
National Geographic notes the Pressure Retarded Osmosis (PRO) method is expensive and will need to have a significant reduction in the cost of membranes to be cost effective. They plan on combining the PRO method with a tertiary treatment (PRO/TT) to generate energy while purifying water.
Researchers in the Netherlands are working on a reverse electrodialysis RED method, which uses the difference between salt and fresh water to create a direct current battery. Other researchers have combined RED with microbial fuel cells (MFC) to produce electricity. The combination is called a microbial reverse electrodialysis Cell (MRC). It reduces the surface material for membranes and increases the electrical production from the cells.
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