A simulation of mass transport across series arrays of membranes with chemical-reaction-coupled solute flow

This paper presents the results of a simulation of water and solute transport across a series array of several membranes, using a model which allows the treatment of arrays of n membranes with “active” (chemical reaction coupled) solute transport. Several peculiar aspects of the system are demonstrated, showing that its behaviour is consistent with experimental results and that an asymmetry is required, to have a volume flow driven by the active solute transport. Such a coupling, experimentally demonstrated both in synthetic and biological membranes, is well described by the thermodynamics of irreversible processes, as treated in the present paper.