Diffusion boundary layers during electrodialysis

A laser interferometry method for direct measurements of thicknesses of diffusion boundary layers is described. The method is employed to explore electromembrane processes. Thicknesses of diffusion boundary layers at below and above limiting diffusion current densities are measured and compared with theoretical values. It is shown that the diffusion boundary layers in narrow channels of electrodialyzer sections overlap one another at high current densities. This radically alters traditional notions concerning the diffusion boundary layer. An interpretation for variations in the thickness of a diffusion boundary layer at current densities in excess of the limiting diffusion current density is given.     

Natural-convective instability of electrochemical systems: A review

Basic theoretical and experimental results of research into natural-convective instability of electrochemical systems are considered.     

Direct evidence for the electroconvective mechanism of neutral amino acid transport during electrodialysis

For the first time, direct evidence was obtained using laser interferometry and flicker-noise spectroscopy that the main cause of the increase in the transport of amino acids through a sulfonated cation-exchange membrane in intense current modes is electroconvection. The turbulent nature of electroconvective vortices at the solution/membrane interface, acidification of the solution in the demineralization compartment and a substantial intensification of amino acid fluxes under over-limiting current modes were revealed. This indicates the electroconvective destruction of the barrier effect of the solution layer with a high pH value near the cation-exchange membrane.     

Model verification of limiting concentration by electrodialysis of an electrolyte solution

The concentration of LiCl in brine and brine volume are obtained as functions of current density by the method of limiting concentration by electrodialysis. These relationships are used for model calculations of current efficiency, the diffusion, osmotic, and electroosmotic permeability of an MK-40/MA-40 membrane pair, and also salt hydration numbers. These theoretical values of water transport numbers and LiCl hydration numbers are compared with corresponding experimental and literature data. It is shown that the model adequately describes the phenomena of the mass electrotransport occurring in electrodialyzers with noncirculating concentration compartments, and it can be successfully applied in calculating the technological parameters of the process, finding the transport properties of ion-exchange membranes, and determining salt hydration numbers in aqueous electrolyte solutions.     

Approaches to the study of electrochemical process instability: A review

This paper summarizes experimental and theoretical investigations conducted by the author’s research group, prior to his official retirement, on various aspects of electrochemically induced convective-flow and oscillatory instability and the stability of electrochemical reactors. Published in Russian in Elektrokhimiya, 2006, Vol. 42, No. 5, pp. 567–573. The text was submitted by the author in English.     

Modeling of clarified tropical fruit juice deacidification by electrodialysis

Electrodialysis (ED) using two-stack configurations with homopolar or bipolar membranes was investigated for deacidification of tropical fruit juices (passion fruit, mulberry, naranjilla). The objective was to develop a mathematical treatment for ED to predict the behavior of a fruit juice at industrial scale from ED performances at laboratory scale. From parameters such as current efficiency, electric resistance of the anion exchange membrane, and coefficients of variation with temperature determined in a laboratory-scale stack, modeling was applied to a pilot-scale stack that has a total effective membrane area 70 times larger. If no fouling took place, and except for conductivity at pH higher than 3.8, the differences between the experimental and simulated values for pH, titrable acidity, voltage, and energy consumption were inferior to 7%, 16%, 20%, and 15%, respectively, for all the fruit juices and operating conditions. Moreover, the average electrical charge of citric acid species transferred was 2.16 for all fruit juices, indicating that the current transport was mainly due to the ionic species issued from the secondary dissociation of the citric acid.     

Improved spacer design and cost reduction in an electrodialysis system

In electrodialysis using thin membranes and spacers, the compactness of the membrane cell-pairs leads to a small potential drop, and hence to energy saving. The spacer design itself has a great effect on the cost of the plants, since spacers act as turbulence promoters. A careful design, to increase the mass transfer coefficients, can reduce the membrane surface area required for a given application. Limiting current measurements, cell-pair resistance and pressure losses are presented for several thin spacers, for different flow-velocity values and feed water concentrations. It was possible to find an advantageous geometry of the separating mesh leading to substantial savings on investment and operation costs.     

Conversion of sodium lactate to lactic acid with water-splitting electrodialysis

The conversion of sodium lactate to lactic acid with water-splitting electrodialysis was investigated. One way of reducing the power consumption is to add a conductive layer to the acid compartment. Doing this reduced the power consumption by almost 50% in a two-compartment cell, whereas the electric current efficiency was not affected at all. Three different solutions were treated in the electrodialysis unit: a model solution with 70 g/L of sodium lactate and a fermentation broth that had been prefiltered two different ways. The fermentation broth was either filtered in an open ultrafiltration membrane (cut-off of 100,000 Dalton) in order to remove the microorganisms or first filtered in the open ultrafiltration membrane and then in an ultrafiltration membrane with a cut-off of 2000 Dalton to remove most of the proteins. The concentration of sodium lactate in the fermentation broth was 70 g/L, as well. Organic molecules present in the broth (peptides and similar organic material) fouled the membranes and, therefore, increased power consumption. Power consumption increased more when permeate from the more open ultrafiltration membrane was treated in the electrodialysis unit than when permeate from the membrane with the lower cut-off was treated, since there was a higher amount of foulants in the former permeate. However, the electrodialysis membranes could be cleaned efficiently with a 0.1 M sodium hydroxide solution.     

Current progress in membranes for fuel cells and reverse electrodialysis

The deterioration of the environmental situation has led to the need to restructure the world’s power industry, and clean renewable power sources are coming to the forefront. This review deals with recent advances in the development of promising ion-exchange membrane materials for two types of application that have been intensely developing recently, namely, hydrogen energy and reverse electrodialysis. Special attention is paid to the comparison of two properties of membranes, conductivity and selectivity, that are competing but fundamentally important in both areas. Perfluorinated sulfonic acid membranes now play a dominant role in hydrogen power engineering, as they provide not only high proton conductivity but also chemical stability and low gas permeability. The review also covers other types of membrane materials, including anion exchange membranes, polybenzimidazoles and hybrid membranes containing inorganic nanoparticles that have been actively developed in recent years. The milder operating conditions of membranes in reverse electrodialysis units allow one to use less expensive non-perfluorinated membranes, including grafted ones. It is of note that in devices of this type, the selectivity of membranes to the transfer of oppositely charged ions is a more important parameter.     

Convective instability of a zinc sulfate solution in a cell with horizontal plane-parallel electrodes

The Rayleigh-Bénard convective instability in a cell with horizontal zinc electrodes is considered. The space between the electrodes is filled with a ZnSO₄ solution. The linear plot of the difference between the zinc deposition currents (I) in the cases where the anode is the upper or lower electrode vs. the square root of the zinc deposition current in the absence of convection is found experimentally. It is shown that the critical Rayleigh number can be determined by an extrapolation of this plot.Translated from Elektrokhimiya, Vol. 41, No. 2, 2005, pp. 247–249.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Tomashova, Teplitskaya, Grigin, Davydov.     

The conjugation of ionic flows in the diffusion layers of electrodialysis systems

Fundamental regularities of the ion interference in diffusion layers of electrodialysis systems are revealed, as well as their effect on the electrical field strength, through which the ionic flows in their turn affect each other.     

Development of thermoplastic polyurethane/polyaniline-doped membranes for the separation of glycine through electrodialysis

Recently, membrane-based separation processes, particularly electrodialysis, have attracted attention for the separation and purification of organic and amino acids from animal feedstock waste. In this study, cation exchange membranes were synthesized by making a composite of thermoplastic polyurethane and polyaniline (PANI) via the doping of various aromatic sulfonic acids, such as β -naphthol sulfonic acid and phenol sulfonic acid. The PANI was prepared using a standard method, which was further used in the composite blending at varying concentrations of 10%–20%. The impact of the concentration of PANI and the nature of the dopant on the membrane characteristics were comparatively studied. The membranes were analyzed by electric conductivity, water swelling, morphological studies (SEM), and thermogravimetric analysis. The membranes were used for the separation of glycine hydrochloride via electrodialysis.     

Investigation of the mass transfer processes during the desalination of water containing phenol and sodium chloride by electrodialysis

Oxidation processes are used in wastewater treatment when conventional processes are not effective due to the presence of recalcitrant organic contaminants, like phenol. However, the presence of ionic compounds associated with organic pollutants may retard the oxidation. In this work the transport of species contained in an aqueous solution of phenol containing sodium chloride was evaluated in an electrodialysis (ED) system. An experimental study was carried out in which the influence of the process variables on the phenol loss and sodium chloride removal was investigated. Experiments were also performed without current, in order to determine the phenol transfer due to diffusion. The phenol and salt concentration variations in the ED compartments were measured over time, using dedicated procedures and an experimental design to determine the global characteristic parameters. A phenomenological approach was used to relate the phenol, salt and water fluxes with the driving forces (concentration and electric potential gradients). Under ED conditions, two contributions were pointed out for the phenol transport, i.e. diffusion and convection, this latter coming from the water flux due to electroosmosis related to the migration of salts. The fitting of the parameters of the transport equations resulted in good agreement with the experimental results over the range of conditions investigated.     

Emergence of convective instability in the process of electroreduction of a polytetrafluoroethylene suspension in a tetraalkylammonium salt solution in dimethyl sulfoxide on the surface of a mercury-pool cathode

The electroreduction of mechanically activated solid particles of a polytetrafluoroethylene suspension on a mercury-pool cathode in DMSO solutions containing (C₂H₅)₄NClO₄ is investigated visually and by taking polarization measurements. It is established that the process is accompanied by the emergence of a convective instability, which manifests itself in a spontaneous ordered motion of solid particles in two mutually opposite vertical directions and in the fluctuations of electric current. The assumption is put forth about the formation, in these conditions, of spatial (cellular) and space-time dissipative structures. The basis for the above phenomena is a nonuniform distribution of local values of the current density and potential at the surface of the mercury-pool cathode, which gives rise to vertical and horizontal gradients of the temperature of the liquid phases and the interfacial tension of mercury.     

Influence of multivalent ions on power production from mixing salt and fresh water with a reverse electrodialysis system

Reverse electrodialysis is a membrane-based technique for production of sustainable electricity from controlled mixing of a diluted electrolyte solution (e.g., river water) and a concentrated electrolyte solution (e.g., sea water). Reverse electrodialysis has been investigated with pure sodium chloride solutions. In practice, however, in most cases also other ions are present in both feed solutions. In the present paper, the effect of multivalent ions on the performance of a reverse electrodialysis stack was investigated. Results show that, besides a higher stack resistance in presence of multivalent ions, especially the presence of multivalent ions in the dilute solution has a lowering effect on the stack voltage. This can be explained by an observed transport of these ions from the diluted electrolyte solution to the concentrated electrolyte solution. In order to prevent or hamper this transport against the activity gradient, monovalent-selective membranes can be used. This shows indeed better results with respect to the stack voltage. Therefore, it would be beneficial to use monovalent-selective membranes in reverse electrodialysis, especially in the case of a relatively high content of multivalent ions in the dilute (i.e., in the first stages of the installation where the sodium chloride content in the dilute is still relatively low).     

Permselectivity between two anions in anion exchange membranes crosslinked with various diamines in electrodialysis

A membranous copolymer crosslinked with divinylbenzene reacted with N,N,N′,N′-tetra-methylethylenediamine, N,N,N′,N′-tetramethyl-1,3-propanediamine, and N,N,N′,N′-tetramethyl-1,6-hexanediamine to prepare highly crosslinked anion exchange membranes. More than 80% of both tertiary amino groups of the diamines reacted with chloromethyl groups of the membrane to form crosslinkage. After formation of the high crosslinkage of the membrane was confirmed with dialysis of a neutral molecule, electrochemical properties of the obtained membranes (mainly, relative transport number between two anions in electrodialysis) were evaluated: nitrate ions to chloride ions, sulfate ions to chloride ions, fluoride ions to chloride ions, and bromide ions to chloride ions. Though larger anions, in general, were difficult to permeate through the membranes due to high crosslinkage, the number of methylene groups of the diamines (which means the increase in hydrophobicity of anion exchange groups) also affected the relative transport number between two anions. The lower the hydration of anions, the higher the relative transport number of the anions through the membranes with the hydrophobic anion exchange groups. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

New ion exchange membrane derived from sulfochlorated polyether sulfone for electrodialysis desalination of brackish water

The purpose of this work is to study the desalination of brackish water using a new ion exchange membrane, made from sulfochlorated polyethersulfone (Cl‐PES), and crosslinked using aminated polyethersulfone (NH2‐PES) as a crosslinking reagent. This membrane, named ClNH2 membrane, has been obtained by reaction between Cl‐PES with 1.3 SO₂Cl groups per monomer unit and 0.2 equivalent amount of NH2‐PES. ClNH2 membrane has been characterized in terms of contact angle, transport number, intrinsic conductivity, and water uptake (as a function of temperature). Electrodialysis performances of the newly synthetized membranes have been measured using an electrodialysis cell at a laboratory scale and compared to commercial membranes. All the experiments have been performed using synthetic brackish water solutions prepared from sodium chloride salts with different concentrations (varying from 0.5 to 5.0 g/L). The concentration of different water samples obtained has been found to be below the amount recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) for drinking water.     

Non-Steady-State Processes Under Conditions of Natural Convection in an Electrochemical Cell with Horizontal Electrodes: The Critical Time of the Onset of a Convective Instability at Large Rayleigh Numbers

Theoretical analysis of a model electrochemical system is performed. An equation for the critical time of the onset of a convective instability and natural convection in a plane electrolyte layer between two horizontal electrodes is derived. The cessation of damping of fluctuations of the electroactive-ion concentration is taken as the condition for the onset of a convective instability.     

Irreversible dissociation of water molecules on the ion-exchange membrane-electrolyte solution interface in electrodialysis

The fluxes of hydrogen ions through the cation-exchange membrane and hydroxyl ions through the anion-exchange membrane in the electrodialysis were measured using the method of selective polarization. The experiments, which were conducted in a wide range of current densities, enabled us to obtain the results of ionic transport different from the literature data and to explain them on the basis of chemical reactions proceeding in the system. It is shown that a decrease in the hydration of ionogenic groups intensifies the ionic fluxes of the medium in the electrodialysis.     

Reducing power losses caused by ionic shortcut currents in reverse electrodialysis stacks by a validated model

Both in electrodialysis and in reverse electrodialysis ionic shortcut currents through feed and drain channels cause a considerable loss in efficiency. Model calculations based on an equivalent electric system of a reverse electrodialysis stack reveal that the effect of these salt bridges could be reduced via a proper stack design. The critical parameters which are to be optimized are ρ/r and R/r, where ρ is the lateral resistance along the spacers, R is the resistance of the feed and drain channels between two adjacent cells, and r is the internal resistance of a cell. Because these two parameters are dimensionless, different stacks can be easily compared. The model is validated with two experimental stacks differing in membrane type and spacer thickness, one with large ionic shortcut currents and one where this effect is less. The loss in efficiency decreased from 25 to 5% for a well-designed stack. The loss of efficiency in reverse electrodialysis and in electrodialysis can be reduced with the aid of the design parameters presented in this paper.