Search results for "ion exchange membrane"
showing 10 items of 35 documents
Neutralization of acid and base solutions by Reverse Electrodialysis with Bipolar Membranes: a sustainable way to recover energy
2020
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…
Integrated modelling of membrane deformation, fluid dynamics and mass transfer in electromembrane processes
In recent years, water and energy supply issues have drawn the attention of the scientific community to electromembrane processes. Electrodialysis (ED) and Reverse Electrodialysis (RED) are two of the most attractive electromembrane technologies for water desalination and electric energy production from salinity gradients, respectively. In order to gain an important place in the industrial market, technological challenges on various aspects are involved in the optimization of these processes. In this context, profiled membranes exhibit interesting performance. However, the mechanical behavior of the membranes and its interaction with fluid dynamics has been poorly investigated so far. In me…
Performance analysis of the first Reverse Electrodialysis prototype plant operating with natural brackish water and salt pond brine
2014
Reverse Electrodialysis (RED) has gained a strong interest among the salinity gradient energy technologies during the last years. Recently, notable improvements have been reached in terms of membranes and stack performances using artificial solutions. However, the use of real saline solutions strongly affects the process performance, requiring additional R&D efforts for a successful scale-up of such technology. This work focuses on the experimental campaign performed on the first RED prototype plant fed with real brackish water and saltworks brine. The plant is located within the Ettore e Infersa saltworks in Marsala (TP, South of Italy). It is the final accomplishment of the REAPower proje…
Towards sustainable production of minerals and chemicals through seawater brine treatment using Eutectic freeze crystallization and Electrodialysis w…
2022
European policy encourages the adoption of sustainable systems that promote the efficient use and recovery of minerals and chemicals. In this respect, desalination brines do contain a dramatic amount of valuable minerals and can be valorized through appropriate treatments rather than releasing them into the environment. This paper proposes an innovative brine recovery system for obtaining high purity chemicals through the integration of Eutectic Freeze Crystallization (EFC) and Electrodialysis with Bipolar Membrane (EDBM) technologies. Two separate laboratory-scale experimental campaigns were carried out to validate the potential integration of the two processes. Mirabilite (Na2SO4∙10H2O) h…
Determination of limiting current density and current efficiency in electrodialysis units
2018
Abstract A crucial parameter for the design and operation of electrodialysis (ED) units is the limiting current density (LCD). This is often identified with the diffusion-limited current density, which corresponds to the complete solute depletion in the layer adjacent to the membrane. Current-voltage curves obtained from measurements with electrodes in contact with the solution (i.e. without membranes) are consistent with this interpretation and exhibit a horizontal plateau identifying LCD. However, real ED systems show more complex behaviours, with a reduced-slope tract instead of a plateau and a third region in which the current increases more markedly (overlimiting current). The phenomen…
Fluid-structure interaction and flow redistribution in membrane-bounded channels
2019
The hydrodynamics of electrodialysis and reverse electrodialysis is commonly studied by neglecting membrane deformation caused by transmembrane pressure (TMP). However, large frictional pressure drops and differences in fluid velocity or physical properties in adjacent channels may lead to significant TMP values. In previous works, we conducted one-way coupled structural-CFD simulations at the scale of one periodic unit of a profiled membrane/channel assembly and computed its deformation and frictional characteristics as functions of TMP. In this work, a novel fluid&ndash
A hierarchical model for novel schemes of electrodialysis desalination
2019
Abstract A new hierarchical model for the electrodialysis (ED) process is presented. The model has been implemented into gPROMs Modelbuilder (PSE), allowing the development of a distributed-parameters simulation tool that combines the effectiveness of a semi-empirical modelling approach to the flexibility of a layered arrangement of modelling scales. Thanks to its structure, the tool makes possible the simulation of many different and complex layouts, requiring only membrane properties as input parameters (e.g. membrane resistance or salt and water permeability). The model has been validated against original experimental data obtained from a lab scale ED test rig. Simulation results concern…
Effect of membrane profiles on the limiting current density in electrodialysis
2019
In the present work, we experimenrtally investigated the effect of different membrane profiles on the LCD, testing also different operating conditions.
Operation and perspectives of the first reverse electrodialysis pilot plant fed with brackish water and brines
2015
This work describes the performance of the first RED prototype plant fed with real brackish water and saltworks brine