0000000000017646
AUTHOR
A. Culcasi
Neutralization of acid and base solutions by Reverse Electrodialysis with Bipolar Membranes: a sustainable way to recover energy
The large amount of acidic wastewaters produced in various industrial processes can have a large economic and environmental impact. Companies producing waste acid solutions have to send them to specific sites for the neutralization with alkaline solutions. However, efforts have been devoted so far to promote the acid recovery or its reuse. In the perspective of a more circular manufacturing approach, the present work proposes for the first time the use of the novel Bipolar Membrane Reverse Electrodialysis technology as a viable on-site way to convert the chemical energy associated to the pH gradient of waste acid/base solutions into electrical energy. Bipolar Membrane Reverse Electrodialysi…
Bipolar membrane (reverse) electrodialysis acid/base flow battery for energy storage: a multi-scale model for increased efficiency
The renewable energy market is rapidly increasing. Most of renewable energy sources are intermittent, e.g. wind and solar among them. This has led to the need for new large scale energy storage systems. In this regard, the Acid/Base Flow Battery (AB-FB) represents an innovative, safe and sustainable way to store energy with high performances [1]. The energy density accumulated in an AB-FB, in the form of pH and salinity gradients, can theoretically reach 7 kWh/m8 which is higher than the values relevant to the most used technologies (e.g. pumped hydropower and compressed air). The core of the battery is the stack where two membrane separation processes are carried out: bipolar membrane elec…
A multi-scale tool for simulating electrodialysis with bipolar membranes systems
In recent years, the global capacity of the desalination industry has increased to address freshwater scarcity, with reverse osmosis established as the leading technology. Brine disposal is a major issue due to the environmental impacts. However, novel brine management methods are oriented by (near) Zero Liquid Discharge strategies towards waste disposal minimization and resource recovery. In this context, ElectroDialysis with Bipolar Membranes (EDBM) can be utilised to valorise and, thus, repurpose the waste brine, thereby producing valuable chemicals, such as acid and base solutions, and recovering desalted water. However, the EDBM system must be carefully designed to meet the process req…
Modeling and Design of Membrane Integrated Processes for HCl and Metals Recovery from Pickling Solutions
Hydrochloric acid pickling is a common practice in steel manufacturing industry. During the process, acid is consumed to dissolve surface oxides and metals are accumulated in the solution. This fact leads to a process efficiency decrease. Continuous regeneration of pickling solutions enhances process rate and performance, but also minimises the highly expensive and environmentally risky wastewater disposal. The recovery of valuable substances (e.g. acid and metals) can be accomplished by coupling diffusion dialysis (DD) and membrane distillation (MD) technologies. In the present work, a steady state process simulator for the integrated process has been developed. The aim is to analyze and p…
A validated multi-scale model of a novel electrodialytic acid-base flow battery
Electrical energy storage is crucial for a deeper penetration of intermittent renewable energies, e.g. solar and wind. The Acid/Base Flow Battery (AB-FB) is a novel, sustainable, environmental-friendly storage technology with high energy density1. The process is based on reversible electrodialytic techniques that convert the electrical energy in the chemical energy associated to pH gradients and vice versa. The bipolar membrane electrodialysis process operates in the charge phase, while the bipolar membrane reverse electrodialysis in the discharge phase. The stack consists of repetitive units, called triplets, made up of an anion-exchange membrane, a bipolar membrane, and a cation-exchange …
Optimization study of acid-base flow battery stacks with monopolar and bipolar membranes
The Acid-Base Flow Battery (AB-FB) is a novel technology for energy storage. It is based on reversible electrodialytic techniques with ion-exchange membranes. The kye elements are the bipolar membranes, which convert electrical energy in the form of pH gradients and vice versa. Despite the promising results of few experimental studies, the AB-FB potential has been poorly explored so far. This work presents an optimization study of the AB-FB. It was performed by a multi-scale process model previously developed (gPROMS Model Builder® environment) and experimentally validated. A two-objective optimization was conducted by maximizing the Net Round Trip Efficiency and the Net Power Density in th…
Process modelling of a novel acid-base flow battery based on bipolar-membranes
The storage of electrical energy is crucial for a deeper penetration of renewable energies with intermittent nature, e.g. solar and wind energy. The Acid/Base Flow Battery (AB-FB) is a novel, sustainable, environmental-friendly storage technology with high energy density of the electrolyte solutions. The process is based on reversible electrodialytic techniques with bipolar membranes, which convert the electrical energy in the chemical energy associated to pH gradients and vice versa. The charge phase is a bipolar membrane electrodialysis process, while the discharge phase is a bipolar membrane reverse electrodialysis process. The stack consists of several repetitive units, called triplets,…
Recovery of pickling acid solutions by membrane technology: the EU REWACEM Project
Resource recovery from industrial waste water by cutting edge membrane technologies
Effective recovery of HCl and metals from pickling solutions by cutting-edge membrane technologies
The pickling process is an essential step in the hot-dip galvanizing process.It is performed by immersing manufacturedsteel pieces inacid bathsin order todissolve the oxidized layers. During the pickling process, acid attacks metal oxides on the surface, dissolving them in the pickling bath. Thus, the efficiency of the pickling liquor decreases due to the accumulation of metal salts and the consumption of free acid in the solution. When hydrochloric acid is used,ferrous chloride is producedduring the pickling treatment, reaching concentrations up to 250 g/l, while the acid concentration decreases by 75-85%. A pickling bath in this condition is considered spent [1] due to thevery low picklin…