Boron removal from aqueous solution by reverse osmosis

Boron is biologically an essential nutrient for many plants but high boron concentrations in irrigation water cause toxic effects whereas low abundances require boron addition to maximize crop yields. High boron levels in drinking water can be also toxic to humans. There is no easy method for the removal of boron from waters and wastewaters. One or more method may be applied according to boron cocentration in medium. For boron removal, main processes that have been studied are (1) precipitation-coagulation; (2) adsorption on oxides, active carbon, cellulose or clay minerals; (3) ion exchange with basic exchanger; (4) use of boron selective resin; (5) solvent extraction; (6) membrane filtration (electrodialysis, reverse osmosis etc.) In this study boron removal by reverse osmosis was examined. First part of this article reviews current studies about boron removal by reverse osmosis. In the second part of study boron removal by reverse osmosis from aqueous solution (5 mg B/L) was investigated and the rejection ratio of boron was obtained as 69%.