The emergency water-bag is a gadget for supplying drinking water under emergent situations. The preparation and the performance of the cellulose triacetate (CTA) forward osmosis (FO) membrane and the research progress of the emergency water-bag made of the CTA membrane are studied in this paper. The water flux and the rejection performance of the heavy metal ions of the emergency water-bag are tested in the homemade water. With this CTA membrane, a FO water flux of 8.77 L/(m²·h) and J_s/J_w of 0.56 g/L are obtained under a standard test condition using 0.5 mol/L NaCl as the draw solution and the deionized water as the feed. The water-bag containing the glucose solution can draw 180 g water in the water-bag from the surface water sample and this water processing capacity can meet the water demand to sustain life. The rejection rate of the heavy metal with the hydrated ion radius larger than 100 pm can reach 95%, and the concentration of Pb(II), Cr(III), and Hg(II) in the water-bag is found to be lower than the National drinking water standard (GB5749—2006). The As(III) concentration in the produced water is higher than the standard, because the radius of the hydrated As(III) is less than 65 pm. Further improvement in the FO membrane dense layer is required to remove micro-particles at a high rate.

emergency water-bag  /  forward osmosis  /  water flux  /  cellulose triacetate membrane  /  heavy metal rejection