The potential of forward osmosis in reducing water consumption in hemodialysis.

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Title: The potential of forward osmosis in reducing water consumption in hemodialysis.
Alternate Title: El potencial de la ósmosis forzada para reducir el consumo de agua en la hemodiálisis.
Authors: Tarrass, Faissal1 ftarrass@hotmail.com, Benjelloun, Meryem1
Source: Nefrologia. May2026, Vol. 46 Issue 5, p1-4. 4p.
Subjects: HEMODIALYSIS, WATER consumption, ENERGY conservation, OSMOSIS, ARTIFICIAL membranes, WATER shortages
Abstract (English): Hemodialysis is a life-sustaining treatment for patients with end-stage renal disease, but it is notoriously resource-intensive, requiring vast quantities of high-purity water. This significant water footprint presents economic and environmental challenges, particularly in water-scarce regions. Forward osmosis (FO), an emerging membrane technology, offers a promising alternative to conventional reverse osmosis (RO) for dialysate preparation and regeneration by leveraging osmotic energy rather than hydraulic pressure. This literature review synthesizes current research on the application of FO in hemodialysis, focusing on its potential to reduce water usage, its operational principles, and the technical challenges hindering its widespread adoption. The analysis covers FO’s roles in direct dialysate preparation from tap water and spent dialysate regeneration, its energy efficiency advantages, and critical hurdles such as membrane performance and draw solution recovery. The review concludes that while FO holds considerable promise for creating more sustainable and portable dialysis systems, targeted research into membrane optimization, biocompatible draw solutions, and hybrid systems is essential for its clinical translation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Abstract (Spanish): La hemodiálisis es un tratamiento vital para pacientes con enfermedad renal terminal, pero es notoriamente intensivo en recursos, ya que requiere vastas cantidades de agua de alta pureza. Esta significativa huella hídrica plantea importantes desafíos económicos y medioambientales, especialmente en regiones con escasez de agua. La ósmosis forzada (OF), una tecnología de membranas emergente, se presenta como una alternativa prometedora a la ósmosis inversa (OI) convencional para la preparación y regeneración del dializado, ya que aprovecha energía osmótica en lugar de presión hidráulica. Esta revisión bibliográfica sintetiza la investigación actual sobre la aplicación de la OF en hemodiálisis, centrándose en su potencial para reducir el consumo de agua, sus principios operativos y los desafíos técnicos que impiden su adopción generalizada. El análisis abarca el papel de la OF en la preparación directa de dializado a partir de agua de red y en la regeneración del dializado usado, sus ventajas en eficiencia energética, y obstáculos críticos como el rendimiento de las membranas y la recuperación de la solución de extracción. La revisión concluye que, si bien la OF es muy prometedora para crear sistemas de diálisis más sostenibles y portátiles, es esencial una investigación dirigida a la optimización de membranas, el desarrollo de soluciones de extracción biocompatibles y los sistemas híbridos para lograr su traducción clínica. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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Database: MedicLatina
Description
Abstract:Hemodialysis is a life-sustaining treatment for patients with end-stage renal disease, but it is notoriously resource-intensive, requiring vast quantities of high-purity water. This significant water footprint presents economic and environmental challenges, particularly in water-scarce regions. Forward osmosis (FO), an emerging membrane technology, offers a promising alternative to conventional reverse osmosis (RO) for dialysate preparation and regeneration by leveraging osmotic energy rather than hydraulic pressure. This literature review synthesizes current research on the application of FO in hemodialysis, focusing on its potential to reduce water usage, its operational principles, and the technical challenges hindering its widespread adoption. The analysis covers FO’s roles in direct dialysate preparation from tap water and spent dialysate regeneration, its energy efficiency advantages, and critical hurdles such as membrane performance and draw solution recovery. The review concludes that while FO holds considerable promise for creating more sustainable and portable dialysis systems, targeted research into membrane optimization, biocompatible draw solutions, and hybrid systems is essential for its clinical translation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
ISSN:02116995
DOI:10.1016/j.nefro.2026.501492