A comprehensive multi-scale process model of bipolar membrane electrodialysis (BMED) systems

Bipolar membrane electrodialysis (BMED) uses electrical energy to produce acidic and alkaline solutions by water dissociation. Its great versatility has increasingly gained the interest in chemical/biochemical industry and in environmental protection. Co-ion leakages through the membranes and shunt currents pose major issues leading to significant drops in current efficiency. This work focuses on the development of a novel model based on a multi-scale approach. Four different dimensional scales were fully integrated within a comprehensive simulating tool with distributed parameters. The lowest scale, which is represented by the channel, includes two sub-models. The CFD simulations sub-level…