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EntityQ786486· pop 30· linked from 358 articles

osmotic power

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energy available from the difference in the salt concentration between seawater and river water

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Within Vinony's link graph, osmotic power is referenced by 358 other articles, and connects out to reversed electrodialysis, Norway and hydrogen.

Vinony files it under Energy conversion, Fuel cells and Membrane technology.

Its subject is documented across 30 Wikipedia language editions.

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energy
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Osmotic power
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~17 min read

Encyclopedic overview

Osmotic power, salinity gradient power or blue energy is the energy available from the difference in the salt concentration between seawater and river water. Two practical methods for this are reverse electrodialysis (RED) and pressure retarded osmosis (PRO). Both processes rely on osmosis with membranes. The key waste product is brackish water. This byproduct is the result of natural forces that are being harnessed: the flow of fresh water into seas that are made up of salt water.

In 1954, Pattle suggested that there was an untapped source of power when a river mixes with the sea, in terms of the lost osmotic pressure, however it was not until the mid-1970s when a practical method of harnessing it using selectively permeable membranes by Loeb was outlined.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “osmotic power” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

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