Which researchers are credited with engineering the first functional synthetic reverse osmosis membrane using cellulose acetate?
Answer
Sidney Loeb and Srinivasa Sourirajan
In 1959, Sidney Loeb, working at UCLA, and Srinivasa Sourirajan, from the National Research Council of Canada, successfully developed the first functional synthetic reverse osmosis membrane. By utilizing a cellulose acetate polymer, they were able to create a barrier that rejected dissolved salts and total dissolved solids (TDS) while allowing water molecules to pass through under applied force. This development provided the necessary technological leap to reverse the natural process of osmosis for practical water purification.
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