Presión osmótica de soluciones salinas y azucaradas: Su influencia en procesos de osmosis inversa en Ia industria de alimentos

The effect of the concentration of salt and sugar solutions on osmotic pressure during reverse osmosis processes was determined. Salty solutions were NaCI and KCl, while sweet solutions were D-Fructose and Lactose. The studied concentrations were 0.5, 0.8, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 5.0% w/v each. The osmotic pressure was determined by an experimental procedure which involves determining the membrane resistance (cellulose acetate) and the total process resistance for each concentration. Results of osmotic pressure were compared to those predicted by Van't Hoff and Gibbs models, concluding that none of them agrees with the experimental results for sugar concentrations higher than 2.0% w/v. This difference between predicted and experimental osmotic pressures is greater in the salt solutions.