Forward osmosis (FO) has attracted growing attention in the field of membrane-based separation technology over the last two decades. Despite recent advancements in various osmosis-assisted processes, few studies have succeeded in commercialization. This paper reviews the state-of-the-art developments of FO membrane, limitation analysis, and commercial proper applications. First, the development of FO technology in terms of FO membranes, FO draw solution (DS), and FO systems is reviewed. Based on a literature database survey spanning 1965-2020, current limitations of FO, particularly in terms of DS regeneration, energy consumption, and scale-up implementation, are identified to overcome the obstacles to commercialization. The key applications of the FO membrane process in commercial sectors are further classified into three configurations (i.e., osmotic dilution, osmotic concentration, and simultaneous osmotic dilution and concentration), and their successful applications are discussed. Since industrial demonstrations of simultaneous osmotic dilution and concentration are in progress, we believe that FO technology with no need for DS regeneration will be commercialized soon in the future.

在过去的二十年中，正向渗透 (FO) 在基于膜的分离技术领域引起了越来越多的关注。尽管最近在各种渗透辅助过程中取得了进展，但很少有研究在商业化方面取得成功。本文回顾了 FO 膜的最新发展、局限性分析和适当的商业应用。首先，从 FO 膜、FO 吸取溶液 (DS) 和 FO 系统方面回顾了 FO 技术的发展。根据 1965-2020 年的文献数据库调查，确定了当前 FO 的局限性，特别是在 DS 再生、能源消耗和扩大实施方面，以克服商业化的障碍。FO 膜工艺在商业领域的关键应用进一步分为三种配置（即，渗透稀释、渗透浓缩和同时渗透稀释和浓缩）及其成功应用进行了讨论。由于同时渗透稀释和浓缩的工业示范正在进行中，我们相信无需 DS 再生的 FO 技术将在未来很快实现商业化。