Spent Dialysate Concentration via Electrodialysis and Forward Osmosis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current hemodialysis treatments are inefficient in water recovery, leading to high water consumption and weight burden for patients, with existing methods failing to achieve significant reduction in spent dialysate volume, which limits treatment duration and mobility.
Innovation Solution
A method combining electrodialysis to reduce electrolytes in spent dialysate followed by forward osmosis using nano-porous or aquaporin water channels to concentrate and recycle water, with a series of hollow fibre modules for enhanced water recovery.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional reverse osmosis water purification is used, then water purity is improved, but water loss increases and production cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the fundamental parameter of the purification process from reverse osmosis (applying pressure to force water through a membrane) to forward osmosis (using a semipermeable membrane to allow water to pass naturally from dilute to concentrated solution). This parameter change enables recovery of up to 90% of water from spent dialysate, transforming a waste stream into a valuable resource while maintaining high water purity suitable for dialysis treatment.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of discarding spent dialysate after a single use, the patent implements a recovery system that captures and reprocesses it. The forward osmosis system recovers water from the spent dialysate, producing fresh water that can be reused in dialysis treatments. This closes the water loop and eliminates the need to continuously produce and dispose of large volumes of fresh dialysate.
2Ease of operation
If home-based dialysis sessions are implemented, then patient mobility is improved, but equipment weight and space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The water recovery system dramatically reduces the volume of spent dialysate from 120 liters to approximately 12 liters per treatment. This reduction directly decreases the weight and volume of waste that must be transported and disposed of, making home-based dialysis more feasible and reducing the equipment burden on patients.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the water management parameter from consuming large volumes of fresh water to recovering and reusing water. This transforms the equipment requirements, allowing for more compact systems that can be managed at home while maintaining effective dialysis treatment.
3Reliability
If intensive hemodialysis regimes are implemented, then patient survival is improved, but treatment frequency and equipment requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
By recovering and reusing water from spent dialysate, the system enables more frequent dialysis treatments without proportionally increasing water consumption. Patients can undergo more intensive treatment regimes (5-6 times per week) with reduced logistical burden, as the water recovery system manages the increased treatment frequency efficiently.
Solution Approach 2:
The water recovery system enables continuous or near-continuous dialysis treatment by efficiently managing water resources. The forward osmosis process can operate continuously to recover water, supporting intensive treatment schedules that improve patient survival while maintaining sustainable water usage.
4Device complexity
If spent dialysate is discarded after single use, then treatment simplicity is maintained, but water waste increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a water recovery system that captures spent dialysate and processes it through forward osmosis to recover water. This transforms the simple discard approach into a recovery approach, capturing water that would otherwise be wasted and making it available for reuse in dialysis treatments.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the water management parameter from single-use disposal to recovery and reuse. The forward osmosis process recovers up to 90% of water from spent dialysate, producing fresh water that can be reused. This parameter change maintains treatment effectiveness while dramatically reducing water waste.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach achieves a high water recovery rate, reducing the weight of dialysis equipment and enabling more frequent, prolonged treatments, improving patient mobility and quality of life while minimizing water usage.
Implementation Method 1
reducing the amount of electrolytes in a spent dialysate by electrodialysis
Implementation Method 2
de-watering the spent dialysate by a forward osmosis operation
Implementation Method 3
forward osmosis using nano-porous or aquaporin water channels
Implementation Method 4
forward osmosis using nano-porous or aquaporin water channels
Data Source
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AI summary
Disclosed is a method for producing a concentrated spent dialysate comprising the steps of reducing the amount of electrolytes in a spent dialysate by electrodialysis and de- watering the spent dialysate by a forward osmosis operation. Also disclosed is a hemodialysis treatment apparatus comprising an ultrafiltration unit allowing for exchange of solutes of a patient's blood plasma and a dialysate, resulting in a stream of cleaned blood for returning to the patient and a stream of spent dialysate; an electrodialysis device capable of reducing the amount of electrolytes in the spent dialysate; a forward osmosis unit comprising a membrane having a feed side and a draw side, the membrane being substantially impervious to solutes and essentially allowing only water to permeate, wherein a stream of spent dialysate from the ultrafiltration unit, is in fluid communication with the feed side and a stream of concentrated dialysate is in fluid communication with the draw side, resulting in a stream of dialysate, optionally after adjustment of the concentration of the solutes, for use in the ultrafiltration unit and a stream of concentrated spent dialysate; and a pump for pumping blood plasma from the patient to the ultrafiltration unit.