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Modelling and Experiment of Anion-Exchange Membranes

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A special issue of Membranes (ISSN 2077-0375). This special issue belongs to the section "Membrane Processing and Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2020) | Viewed by 35037

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Prof. Dr. Victor V. Nikonenko

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Department of Physical Chemistry, Kuban State University, 149 Stavropolskaya st., 350040 Krasnodar, Russia
Interests: ion-exchange membranes; structure-property relationships; transport phenomena; experiment; modelling
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Anion-exchange membranes (AEMs) are the weak link in the electromembrane technologies. They cause more troubles than cation-exchange membranes. Generally, the lifetime of AEMs is shorter, they are less selective and more prone to fouling; the unwanted water splitting reaction is more intensive. The main goal of the Special Issue is to contribute to the advancement of AEMs’ knowledge. Understanding of the behavior of AEMs using experimental and theoretical (modelling, simulation) studies; methods of preparation of new membranes and modification of commercial ones are within the scope of the Special issue. Studies on structure-property relationships; dependence of the AEM performance on the preparation/modification method; mechanisms of ion and molecules transport in and through the AEMs; membrane fouling and ways of fighting it; use of AEMs in separation, extraction and removal of species; other aspects of AEMs preparation, characterization and application are of great interest. Authors are invited to submit their latest results, both original papers and reviews; in particular, contributions to assess the state-of-the-art and future developments are welcome.

Prof. Dr. Victor V. Nikonenko
Guest Editor

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Keywords

anion-exchange membrane
preparation
characterization
structure-property relationship
ion transport
chemical reaction
separation

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Published Papers (9 papers)

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Research

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16 pages, 3416 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Mathematical Modeling of the Effect of Pulsed Electric Field on the Specific Permselectivity of Ion-Exchange Membranes

by Andrey Gorobchenko, Semyon Mareev and Victor Nikonenko

Membranes 2021, 11(2), 115; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes11020115 - 6 Feb 2021

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 2525

Abstract

The application of pulsed electric field (PEF) in electrodialysis has been proven to be efficient for a number of effects: increasing mass transfer rate, mitigation of scaling and fouling, reducing water splitting. Recently, the improvement of the membrane permselectivity for specific counterions was discovered experimentally by the group of Laurent Bazinet (N. Lemay et al. J. Memb. Sci. 604, 117878 (2020)). To better understanding the effect of PEF in electrodialysis, simulations were performed using a non-stationary mathematical model based on the Nernst–Planck and Poisson equations. For the first time, it was not only the condition used when the current density is specified but also the condition when the voltage is set. A membrane and two adjacent diffusion layers are considered. It is shown that when applying the regime used by Lemay et al. (the same current density in conventional continuous current (CC) mode and during the pulses in PEF mode), there is a significant gain in specific permselectivity. It is explained by a reduction in the membrane concentration polarization in PEF mode. In the CC mode of electrodialysis, increasing current density leads to a loss in specific permselectivity: concentration profiles in the diffusion layers and membrane are formed in such a way that ion diffusion reduces the migration flux of the preferentially transferred ion and increases that of the poorly transferred ion. In PEF mode, the concentration profiles are partially restored during the pauses when the current is zero. However, if a different condition is used than the condition applied by Lemay et al., that is, when the same average current density is applied in both the PEF and CC modes, there is no gain in specific permeability. It is shown that within the framework of the applied mathematical model, the specific selectivity depends only on the average current density and does not depend on the mode of its application (CC or PEF mode). Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Modelling and Experiment of Anion-Exchange Membranes)

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27 pages, 4535 KiB

Open AccessArticle

State-of-the-Art Water Treatment in Czech Power Sector: Industry-Proven Case Studies Showing Economic and Technical Benefits of Membrane and Other Novel Technologies for Each Particular Water Cycle

by Jaromír Marek

Membranes 2021, 11(2), 98; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes11020098 - 30 Jan 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 5125

Abstract

The article first summarizes case studies on the three basic types of treated water used in power plants and heating stations. Its main focus is Czechia as the representative of Eastern European countries. Water as the working medium in the power industry presents the three most common cycles—the first is make-up water for boilers, the second is cooling water and the third is represented by a specific type of water (e.g., liquid waste mixtures, primary and secondary circuits in nuclear power plants, turbine condensate, etc.). The water treatment technologies can be summarized into four main groups—(1) filtration (coagulation) and dosing chemicals, (2) ion exchange technology, (3) membrane processes and (4) a combination of the last two. The article shows the ideal industry-proven technology for each water cycle. Case studies revealed the economic, technical and environmental advantages/disadvantages of each technology. The percentage of technologies operated in energetics in Eastern Europe is briefly described. Although the work is conceived as an overview of water treatment in real operation, its novelty lies in a technological model of the treatment of turbine condensate, recycling of the cooling tower blowdown plus other liquid waste mixtures, and the rejection of colloidal substances from the secondary circuit in nuclear power plants. This is followed by an evaluation of the potential novel technologies and novel materials. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Modelling and Experiment of Anion-Exchange Membranes)

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27 pages, 4314 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Investigation of Ion Transport Parameters and Electrochemical Performance of Plasticized Biocompatible Chitosan-Based Proton Conducting Polymer Composite Electrolytes

by Jihad M. Hadi, Shujahadeen B. Aziz, Salah R. Saeed, Mohamad A. Brza, Rebar T. Abdulwahid, Muhamad H. Hamsan, Ranjdar M. Abdullah, Mohd F. Z. Kadir and S. K. Muzakir

Membranes 2020, 10(11), 363; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes10110363 - 21 Nov 2020

Cited by 53 | Viewed by 3981

Abstract

In this study, biopolymer composite electrolytes based on chitosan:ammonium iodide:Zn(II)-complex plasticized with glycerol were successfully prepared using the solution casting technique. Various electrical and electrochemical parameters of the biopolymer composite electrolytes’ films were evaluated prior to device application. The highest conducting plasticized membrane was found to have a conductivity of 1.17 × 10⁻⁴ S/cm. It is shown that the number density, mobility, and diffusion coefficient of cations and anions fractions are increased with the glycerol amount. Field emission scanning electron microscope and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy techniques are used to study the morphology and structure of the films. The non-Debye type of relaxation process was confirmed from the peak appearance of the dielectric relaxation study. The obtained transference number of ions (cations and anions) and electrons for the highest conducting sample were identified to be 0.98 and 0.02, respectively. Linear sweep voltammetry shows that the electrochemical stability of the highest conducting plasticized system is 1.37 V. The cyclic voltammetry response displayed no redox reaction peaks over its entire potential range. It was discovered that the addition of Zn(II)-complex and glycerol plasticizer improved the electric double-layer capacitor device performances. Numerous crucial parameters of the electric double-layer capacitor device were obtained from the charge-discharge profile. The prepared electric double-layer capacitor device showed that the initial values of specific capacitance, equivalence series resistance, energy density, and power density are 36 F/g, 177 Ω, 4.1 Wh/kg, and 480 W/kg, respectively. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Modelling and Experiment of Anion-Exchange Membranes)

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22 pages, 7822 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Experimental Evaluation of Anion Exchange Membranes for the Desalination of (Waste) Water Produced after Polymer-Flooding

by Paulina A. Sosa-Fernández, Jan W. Post, Harrison L. Nabaala, Harry Bruning and Huub Rijnaarts

Membranes 2020, 10(11), 352; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes10110352 - 18 Nov 2020

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2734

Abstract

Electrodialysis (ED) has been recently proposed to desalinate polymer-flooding produced water (PFPW), a byproduct stream from the oil and gas industry rich in charged polymers. However, process performance is limited by fouling occurring on the ion-exchange membranes, particularly on the anionic ones (AEMs). Thus, this study aimed to correlate the properties of different AEMs with their performance while desalinating PFPW, ultimately evaluating their significance when fouling is to be minimized and operation improved. Six stacks containing different homogeneous and commercially available AEMs were employed to desalinate synthetic PFPW during 8-days ED experiments operated in reversal mode. AEMs recovered from the stacks were analyzed in terms of water uptake, ion-exchange capacity, permselectivity, and area resistance, and compared with virgin AEMs. Relatively small changes were measured for most of the parameters evaluated. For most AEMs, the water uptake and resistance increased, while the ion-exchange capacity (IEC) and permselectivity decreased during operation. Ultimately, AEMs with high area resistance were linked to the fast development of limiting current conditions in the stack, so this property turned out to be the most relevant when desalinating PFPW. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Modelling and Experiment of Anion-Exchange Membranes)

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15 pages, 3540 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Desalination Performance Assessment of Scalable, Multi-Stack Ready Shock Electrodialysis Unit Utilizing Anion-Exchange Membranes

by Jan Čížek, Petr Cvejn, Jaromír Marek and David Tvrzník

Membranes 2020, 10(11), 347; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes10110347 - 17 Nov 2020

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 4554

Abstract

Incumbent electromembrane separation processes, including electrodialysis (ED) and electrodeionization (EDI), provide competitive techniques for desalination, selective separation, and unique solutions for ultra-pure water production. However, most of these common electrochemical systems are limited by concentration polarization and the necessity for multistep raw water pre-treatment. Shock electrodialysis (SED) utilizes overlimiting current to produce fresh, deionized water in a single step process by extending ion depleted zones that propagate through a porous medium as a sharp concentration gradient or a shock wave. So far, SED has been demonstrated on small scale laboratory units using cation-exchange membranes. In this work, we present a scalable and multi-stack ready unit with a large, 5000 mm² membrane active area designed and constructed at the Technical University of Liberec in cooperation with MemBrain s.r.o. and Mega a.s. companies (Czechia). We report more than 99% salt rejection using anion-exchange membranes, depending on a dimensionless parameter that scales the constant applied current by the limiting current. It is shown that these parameters are most probably associated with pore size and porous media chemistry. Further design changes need to be done to the separator, the porous medium, and other functional elements to improve the functionality and energy efficiency. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Modelling and Experiment of Anion-Exchange Membranes)

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37 pages, 6362 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Water Splitting and Transport of Ions in Electromembrane System with Bilayer Ion-Exchange Membrane

by Stanislav Melnikov, Denis Bondarev, Elena Nosova, Ekaterina Melnikova and Victor Zabolotskiy

Membranes 2020, 10(11), 346; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes10110346 - 16 Nov 2020

Cited by 24 | Viewed by 3682

Abstract

Bilayer ion-exchange membranes are mainly used for separating single and multiply charged ions. It is well known that in membranes in which the layers have different charges of the ionogenic groups of the matrix, the limiting current decreases, and the water splitting reaction accelerates in comparison with monolayer (isotropic) ion-exchange membranes. We study samples of bilayer ion-exchange membranes with very thin cation-exchange layers deposited on an anion-exchange membrane-substrate in this work. It was revealed that in bilayer membranes, the limiting current’s value is determined by the properties of a thin surface film (modifying layer). A linear regularity of the dependence of the non-equilibrium effective rate constant of the water-splitting reaction on the resistance of the bipolar region, which is valid for both bilayer and bipolar membranes, has been revealed. It is shown that the introduction of the catalyst significantly reduces the water-splitting voltage, but reduces the selectivity of the membrane. It is possible to regulate the fluxes of salt ions and water splitting products (hydrogen and hydroxyl ions) by changing the current density. Such an ability makes it possible to conduct a controlled process of desalting electrolytes with simultaneous pH adjustment. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Modelling and Experiment of Anion-Exchange Membranes)

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17 pages, 8002 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Alkali Treatment on the Mechanical Properties of Anion-Exchange Membranes with a Poly(vinyl Chloride) Backing and Binder

by Shoichi Doi, Ikuo Taniguchi, Masahiro Yasukawa, Yuriko Kakihana and Mitsuru Higa

Membranes 2020, 10(11), 344; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes10110344 - 16 Nov 2020

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2555

Abstract

An alkali treatment under various operating conditions is conducted on a commercial anion-exchange membrane containing poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) as a backing and binder to study the effect of the treatment on the mechanical properties by both Müllen burst and tensile tests. Contrary to our expectations, the Müllen burst pressure and tensile strain at break improved significantly after the alkali treatment in comparison to the pristine membrane and then decreased as the treatment period progressed. A good correlation is observed between the area below the stress–strain curve and burst pressure. To understand the obtained results, the PVC degradates are recovered by Soxhlet extraction and characterized via nuclear magnetic resonance and gel permeation chromatography. It is discovered that the PVC main chains degraded in the alkali solution. We propose a composite model to explain the burst pressure improvement mechanism by the change in the chemical structure of the PVC binder. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Modelling and Experiment of Anion-Exchange Membranes)

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19 pages, 4534 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Alkali Attack on Cation-Exchange Membranes with Polyvinyl Chloride Backing and Binder: Comparison with Anion-Exchange Membranes

by Shoichi Doi, Nobuya Takumi, Yuriko Kakihana and Mitsuru Higa

Membranes 2020, 10(9), 228; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes10090228 - 11 Sep 2020

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2826

Abstract

Systematic alkali immersion tests of cation-exchange membranes (CEM) with polyvinyl chloride (PVC) as their backing and binder were conducted to compare that of an Anion-exchange membrane (AEM) with the same PVC materials to investigate the mechanism of dehydrochlorination. In the immersion tests, originally colorless and transparent AEM turned violet, and chemical structure analysis showed that polyene was produced by the dehydrochlorination reaction. However, the CEM did not change in color, chemical structure or membrane properties during the test with less than 1M alkali solutions. According to the Donnan equilibrium theory and the experiments using CEM and AEM, the hydroxide ion concentration in the CEM was much lower than that in the AEM under the same conditions. However, when the alkali immersion test was performed using the CEM under more severe conditions (6 M for 168 h at 40 °C), there was a slight change in the color and chemical structure of the CEM, clearly indicating that not only AEMs, but also CEMs with PVC matrixes were deteriorated by alkali, depending on the conditions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Modelling and Experiment of Anion-Exchange Membranes)

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Review

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22 pages, 4703 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceReview

Surface Modifications of Anion Exchange Membranes for an Improved Reverse Electrodialysis Process Performance: A Review

by Francis Kotoka, Ivan Merino-Garcia and Svetlozar Velizarov

Membranes 2020, 10(8), 160; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes10080160 - 22 Jul 2020

Cited by 49 | Viewed by 5792

Abstract

Reverse electrodialysis (RED) technology represents a promising electro-membrane process for renewable energy harvesting from aqueous streams with different salinity. However, the performance of the key components of the system, that is, the ion exchange membranes, is limited by both the presence of multivalent ions and fouling phenomena, thus leading to a reduced generated net power density. In this context, the behavior of anion exchange membranes (AEMs) in RED systems is more severely affected, due to the undesirable interactions between their positively charged fixed groups and, mostly negatively charged, foulant materials present in natural streams. Therefore, controlling both the monovalent anion permselectivity and the membrane surface hydrophilicity is crucial. In this respect, different surface modification procedures were considered in the literature, to enhance the above-mentioned properties. This review reports and discusses the currently available approaches for surface modifications of AEMs, such as graft polymerization, dip coating, and layer-by-layer, among others, mainly focusing on preparing monovalent permselective AEMs with antifouling characteristics, but also considering hydrophilicity aspects and identifying the most promising modifying agents to be utilized. Thus, the present study aimed at providing new insights for the further design and development of selective, durable, and cost-effective modified AEMs for an enhanced RED process performance, which is indispensable for a practical implementation of this electro-membrane technology at an industrial scale. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Modelling and Experiment of Anion-Exchange Membranes)

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