• Popular
    • Medicine
    • Radiology
    • Cardiology
    • Surgery
    • Nanomedicine
    • Military Medicine
    • Rehab
  • Categories
    • Exclusive
    • A-D
      • Anesthesiology
      • Art
      • Cardiac Surgery
      • Cardiology
      • Critical Care
      • Dentistry
      • Dermatology
      • Diagnostics
    • E-I
      • Emergency Medicine
      • ENT
      • Genetics
      • Geriatrics
      • GI
      • Informatics
    • M-N
      • Medicine
      • Military Medicine
      • Nanomedicine
      • Net News
      • Neurology
      • Neurosurgery
      • Nuclear Medicine
    • O-P
      • Ob/Gyn
      • Oncology
      • Ophthalmology
      • Orthopedic Surgery
      • Pathology
      • Pediatrics
      • Plastic Surgery
      • Psychiatry
      • Public Health
    • R-V
      • Radiation Oncology
      • Radiology
      • Rehab
      • Reproductive Medicine
      • Space Medicine
      • Sports Medicine
      • Surgery
      • Thoracic Surgery
      • Urology
      • Vascular Surgery
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • Submit PR
  • About
  • Follow
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Linkedin
    • Youtube
    • Instagram
    • RSS
  • Submit PR
  • Log in
Medgadget
Medgadget
  • Popular
    • Medicine
      Implantable Bioreactor for Kidney Cells

      Implantable Bioreactor for Kidney Cells

      Etched Nanopillars Kill Bacteria, Fungi on Titanium Implants

      Etched Nanopillars Kill Bacteria, Fungi on Titanium Implants

      Cells Release Insulin in Response to Music

      Cells Release Insulin in Response to Music

      Microneedle Skin Patch Measures Cancer Biomarkers

      Microneedle Skin Patch Measures Cancer Biomarkers

    • Radiology
      Ultrasound-Equipped Bra Monitors for Breast Cancer

      Ultrasound-Equipped Bra Monitors for Breast Cancer

      Portable and Radiation-Free Imaging with Magnetic Nanoparticles

      Portable and Radiation-Free Imaging with Magnetic Nanoparticles

      Imaging Technique Reveals Living Brain Tissue in its Complexity

      Imaging Technique Reveals Living Brain Tissue in its Complexity

      Wearable Ultrasound for Deep Tissue Monitoring

      Wearable Ultrasound for Deep Tissue Monitoring

    • Cardiology
      Ultrasound-Equipped Bra Monitors for Breast Cancer

      Ultrasound-Equipped Bra Monitors for Breast Cancer

      3D Printed Heart Muscle Beats

      3D Printed Heart Muscle Beats

      Wireless Patch Monitors, Paces Heart and then Biodegrades

      Wireless Patch Monitors, Paces Heart and then Biodegrades

      Photonic Radar Monitors Breathing from a Distance

      Photonic Radar Monitors Breathing from a Distance

    • Surgery
      Implantable Bioreactor for Kidney Cells

      Implantable Bioreactor for Kidney Cells

      Growth Factor-Loaded Microparticles Enhance 3D Bioprinted Muscle

      Growth Factor-Loaded Microparticles Enhance 3D Bioprinted Muscle

      Highly Precise Pressure Sensor for Laparoscopic or Robotic Surgical Tools

      Highly Precise Pressure Sensor for Laparoscopic or Robotic Surgical Tools

      Magnetic Tentacle Robots for Minimally Invasive Procedures

      Magnetic Tentacle Robots for Minimally Invasive Procedures

    • Nanomedicine
      Nanorobots Release Reactive Oxygen Species to Kill Fungal Biofilms

      Nanorobots Release Reactive Oxygen Species to Kill Fungal Biofilms

      Bottlebrush Nanoparticles Deliver Immunostimulatory Drugs

      Bottlebrush Nanoparticles Deliver Immunostimulatory Drugs

      Nanoparticles Deliver mRNA Therapy to the Lungs

      Nanoparticles Deliver mRNA Therapy to the Lungs

      Nanoparticles Get Lymphatic Vessels Pumping

      Nanoparticles Get Lymphatic Vessels Pumping

    • Military Medicine
      Wearable Can Take Multiple Sweat Samples

      Wearable Can Take Multiple Sweat Samples

      Wound Dressing Detects Infection, Changes Color

      Wound Dressing Detects Infection, Changes Color

      Device Measures Hemoglobin More Accurately in Dark Skin

      Device Measures Hemoglobin More Accurately in Dark Skin

      Fingertip Sensor Measures Lithium Levels in Sweat

      Fingertip Sensor Measures Lithium Levels in Sweat

    • Rehab
      Growth Factor-Loaded Microparticles Enhance 3D Bioprinted Muscle

      Growth Factor-Loaded Microparticles Enhance 3D Bioprinted Muscle

      Brain Computer Interface Decodes Speech and Facial Expressions

      Brain Computer Interface Decodes Speech and Facial Expressions

      Semi-Automated Manufacture of E-Skin Sensors

      Semi-Automated Manufacture of E-Skin Sensors

      Above Elbow Amputee Controls Individual Bionic Fingers

      Above Elbow Amputee Controls Individual Bionic Fingers

  • Categories
    • Exclusive
    • A-D
      • Anesthesiology
      • Art
      • Cardiac Surgery
      • Cardiology
      • Critical Care
      • Dentistry
      • Dermatology
      • Diagnostics
    • E-I
      • Emergency Medicine
      • ENT
      • Genetics
      • Geriatrics
      • GI
      • Informatics
    • M-N
      • Medicine
      • Military Medicine
      • Nanomedicine
      • Net News
      • Neurology
      • Neurosurgery
      • Nuclear Medicine
    • O-P
      • Ob/Gyn
      • Oncology
      • Ophthalmology
      • Orthopedic Surgery
      • Pathology
      • Pediatrics
      • Plastic Surgery
      • Psychiatry
      • Public Health
    • R-V
      • Radiation Oncology
      • Radiology
      • Rehab
      • Reproductive Medicine
      • Space Medicine
      • Sports Medicine
      • Surgery
      • Thoracic Surgery
      • Urology
      • Vascular Surgery
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • Submit PR
  • About
  • Log in
  • Submit PR
  • Follow
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Linkedin
    • Youtube
    • Instagram
    • RSS

Atlantis Crew to Experiment With Forward Osmosis Urine Filtration Bag

July 11th, 2011 Medgadget Editors Space Medicine

Included in NASA’s last space shuttle mission to the International Space Station is a novel filtration bag that uses forward osmosis technology to clean water.

Project researchers hope to be able to turn regular old urine into a refreshing beverage, and the bag already filters everything but urea. The team hopes to add a carbon filter to the bag to overcome this problem.

More from the Forward Osmosis Bag (FOB) project page:

Forward osmosis is a low-resource water treatment technology that can be ideal for spaceflight applications. It utilizes a semi-permeable membrane and a liquid osmotic concentrate to convert non-potable water into a liquid that is safe for consumption. Buoyancy-driven convection and concentration polarization are physical phenomena known to affect membrane performance in a unit gravity environment. Concentration polarization is the build up of a concentration gradient of ionic species, or other solutes, on the surface of the semi-permeable membrane. In 1 g environments temperature driven buoyancy effects tend to disrupt concentration polarization and minimize its effect. In microgravity this buoyancy-driven mixing does not occur. It is possible that if this happens the concentration gradients will build up to an extent that the process will not work or the production rate will be significantly reduced. Performance in a microgravity environment can be modeled, but is difficult to predict. The absence of buoyancy-driven convection in microgravity suggests that mass transport will be dominated by diffusion, slowing the rate of permeate production across the membrane. Conversely, a reduction in concentration polarization, as hypothesized by the Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS) device manufacturer, may increase the rate of permeate production.

A critical component affecting membrane performance will be the efficiency of membrane wetting during the initial charging of the FOB device. Some minimal air entrainment is expected in the non-potable ?challenge? fluid. Two-phase fluids are prone to form non-homogeneous foams in microgravity that may inhibit membrane wetting or reduce the effective wetted surface area of membranes. This FOB membrane is highly hydrophilic and is expected to wet thoroughly even in the presence of a non-homogeneous foam.

As a part of the FOB-1 protocol, one set of three osmosis bags will be mechanically mixed/agitated by a crewmember while a second set of three osmosis bags will simply be charged with fluids and then remain quiescent. The hypothesis for testing in the FOB-1 experiment is that mechanical agitation will not affect the performance of the membrane as measured by membrane flux rate and/or wetted surface area after a six-hour exposure interval. Any detrimental effects of a non-homogeneous two-phase fluid contacting the membrane will be overcome by the highly hydrophilic nature of the membrane material.

More from Wired Science: NASA’s Stillsuit: Atlantis Crew to Test Pee-Recycling Bag…

Forward Osmosis Bag (FOB) project overview at NASA…

Medgadget Editors

Medical technologies transform the world! Join us and see the progress in real time. At Medgadget, we report the latest technology news, interview leaders in the field, and file dispatches from medical events around the world since 2004.

Sponsored
Clarius L20 HD3 Receives Highest Image Quality Ranking Among Five Point-of-Care Ultrasound Devices

Clarius L20 HD3 Receives Highest Image Quality Ranking Among Five Point-of-Care Ultrasound Devices

Viral Vector Manufacturing in Gene Therapy and Vaccine Development

Health and Clean Air: Why Indoor Ventilation Matters

Health and Clean Air: Why Indoor Ventilation Matters

New Survey Finds Strong Consumer Preference for More Natural Hernia Repair Options

MedTech Outlook 2023 for Latin America Released

MedTech Outlook 2023 for Latin America Released

interviews & reviews
UV-Free Air Decontamination: Interview with Sorel Rothschild, VP at Quantum Innovations

UV-Free Air Decontamination: Interview with Sorel Rothschild, VP at Quantum Innovations

EarliPoint Evaluation System for ASD Diagnosis: Interview with Tom Ressemann, CEO of EarliTec Dx

EarliPoint Evaluation System for ASD Diagnosis: Interview with Tom Ressemann, CEO of EarliTec Dx

Visually Guided Uterine Biopsies in Physician’s Office: Interview with Allison London Brown, CEO of LUMINELLE

Visually Guided Uterine Biopsies in Physician’s Office: Interview with Allison London Brown, CEO of LUMINELLE

AI-Powered Pain Relief: Interview with Claire Smith, VP at Nevro

AI-Powered Pain Relief: Interview with Claire Smith, VP at Nevro

MISHA Knee Shock Absorber: Interview with Anton Clifford, CEO of Moximed

MISHA Knee Shock Absorber: Interview with Anton Clifford, CEO of Moximed

Shelf-Stable Breast Milk Powder: Interview with Dr. Vansh Langer, CEO at BBy

Shelf-Stable Breast Milk Powder: Interview with Dr. Vansh Langer, CEO at BBy

"We Are Electric" by Sally Adee: Medgadget Interviews the Author

"We Are Electric" by Sally Adee: Medgadget Interviews the Author

  • Subscribe
  • Contact us
  • Submit
  • About
  • Back to top
Medgadget

Medical technologies transform the world! Join us and see the progress in real time. At Medgadget, we report the latest technology news, interview leaders in the field, and file dispatches from medical events around the world since 2004.

  • About
  • Editorial policies
  • Contact
  • Terms of Service
  • Privacy
  • Submit press release
  • Advertise
© Medgadget, Inc. All rights reserved. | The Medical Revolution Will Be Blogged.
Please support this website by adding us to your whitelist in your ad blocker. Ads are what helps us bring you premium content! Thank you!
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
  • Email