The salt retention measurements on A-membrane using single component salt solutions of NaCl, LiCl, MgCl2, CaCl2, Na2SO4 and MgSO4 at the pH value of 6 are showed in Fig. 15. The effects of salts concentration and transmembrane pressure on the ions retention of g-alumina nanofiltration membrane are exhibited in Fig. 15a and b, respectively. For the effect of salts concentration, it was shown that ions retention decreased with the increase of concentration. It was likely due to that the thickness of double layer decreased when the salts concentration increased. As observed for chlorides, the retention rates of the divalent cations (Mg2t and Ca2t) were higher than those of the monovalent cations (Nat and Lit). This was due to the charge effect because the ionic diameter and its hydrated diameter are much smaller than the membrane pore size [18]. Such behavior is typical for positively charged nanofiltration membranes [35]. Additionally, for the effect of transmembrane pressure, it was shown that the retention rates increased with the transmembrane pressure. Salt transport in nanofiltration membrane is a combination of three transport mechanisms: convection, diffusion and electromigration [33]. Diffusion plays a main role at lower pressures while the effects of convection and electromigration increased linearly with transmembrane pressure and become the
domains at high pressures [22].