Steady‐state distribution of water in cellulose acetate membrane

Abstract

Abstract The effect of hydrostatic pressure applied to a solution on one side of a membrane on the steady‐state concentration distribution of permeating solvent inside the membrane has been examined with a view to distinguishing between different mechanisms of permeation in reverse osmosis. The concentration gradients found experimentally in stacks of cellulose acetate films support the view that permeation takes place by diffusion in a nonporous membrane.