6533b7cefe1ef96bd12571a1
RESEARCH PRODUCT
Energy harvesting by waste acid/base neutralization via bipolar membrane reverse electrodialysis
Alessandro TamburiniLuigi GurreriAndrea ZafforaMonica SantamariaAlessandro CosenzaGiorgio MicaleAndrea Culcasisubject
Work (thermodynamics)Settore ING-IND/26 - Teoria Dello Sviluppo Dei Processi ChimiciControl and OptimizationMaterials scienceEnergy Engineering and Power TechnologySalt (chemistry)02 engineering and technology010501 environmental sciencespH gradient; waste to energy; ion-exchange membrane; wastewater valorization; controlled neutralization7. Clean energy01 natural scienceslcsh:TechnologyStack (abstract data type)Reversed electrodialysisWastewater valorizationElectrical and Electronic EngineeringIon-exchange membraneEngineering (miscellaneous)pH gradient0105 earth and related environmental sciencesPower densitychemistry.chemical_classificationRenewable Energy Sustainability and the Environmentlcsh:T021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology6. Clean waterWaste to energyMembraneSettore ING-IND/23 - Chimica Fisica ApplicatachemistryFlow velocityChemical engineeringAcid–base reaction0210 nano-technologyControlled neutralizationEnergy (miscellaneous)description
Bipolar Membrane Reverse Electrodialysis (BMRED) can be used to produce electricity exploiting acid-base neutralization, thus representing a valuable route in reusing waste streams. The present work investigates the performance of a lab-scale BMRED module under several operating conditions. By feeding the stack with 1 M HCl and NaOH streams, a maximum power density of ~17 W m−2 was obtained at 100 A m−2 with a 10-triplet stack with a flow velocity of 1 cm s−1, while an energy density of ~10 kWh m−3 acid could be extracted by a complete neutralization. Parasitic currents along feed and drain manifolds significantly affected the performance of the stack when equipped with a higher number of triplets. The apparent permselectivity at 1 M acid and base decreased from 93% with the five-triplet stack to 54% with the 38-triplet stack, which exhibited lower values (~35% less) of power density. An important role may be played also by the presence of NaCl in the acidic and alkaline solutions. With a low number of triplets, the added salt had almost negligible effects. However, with a higher number of triplets it led to a reduction of 23.4–45.7% in power density. The risk of membrane delamination is another aspect that can limit the process performance. However, overall, the present results highlight the high potential of BMRED systems as a productive way of neutralizing waste solutions for energy harvesting.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-10-21 |