Pressure-retarded Osmosis

Pressure-retarded Osmosis

Pressure retarded osmosis (PRO) is the salinity gradient energy retrieved from the difference in the salt concentration between seawater and river water. In PRO, the water potential between fresh water and sea water corresponds to a pressure of 26 bars. This pressure is equivalent to a column of water (hydraulic head) 270 meters high. However, the optimal working pressure is only half of this, 11 to 15 bar. This method of generating power was invented by Prof. Sidney Loeb in 1973 at the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beersheba, Israel.