Ion-Exchange Membranes: From Synthesis to Applications

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2021) | Viewed by 21184

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Gillings School of Global Public Health, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
Interests: membrane technology; ion exchange membranes; reverse osmosis; nanofiltration membranes; structure-property-performance relationships; transport phenomena; membrane characterization; water purification; energy; electromembrane processes

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Ion-exchange membranes (IEMs) are essential components of processes used for a variety of applications, including water desalination, generation and storage of energy, resource recovery, generation and purification of valuable chemicals (e.g., table salt, chlorine, organic acids), and various other applications in the food, beverage, biotechnology, and pharmaceutical industries. Some of these applications are well-established processes (e.g., chlor-alkali process for production of chlorine and caustic soda), while others are only in the laboratory or pilot-scale stages (e.g., electricity generation by reverse electrodialysis). The efficiency, economics, and even feasibility of these processes is highly dependent on the physical, chemical, and transport properties of the IEMs.

This Special Issue on “Ion-Exchange Membranes” seeks contributions that report recent developments in the field of IEMs and their applications. Topics include but are not limited to materials, fabrication techniques, characterization, modeling of membrane transport phenomena or IEM-based processes, and applications including novel pilot- or full-scale demonstrations. Both original papers and reviews are welcome.

Prof. Orlando Coronell
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • ion exchange membranes
  • fabrication techniques
  • membrane modification
  • membrane characterization
  • membrane transport phenomena
  • membrane fouling
  • structure-property-performance relationships
  • modelling
  • applications: separations; desalination; water treatment; energy generation; energy storage; resource recovery

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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19 pages, 3443 KiB  
Article
Scale-Up and Long-Term Study of Electrodialysis with Ultrafiltration Membrane for the Separation of a Herring Milt Hydrolysate
by Jacinthe Thibodeau, Noémie Benoit, Véronique Perreault and Laurent Bazinet
Membranes 2021, 11(8), 558; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes11080558 - 23 Jul 2021
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2594
Abstract
Electrodialysis with ultrafiltration membrane (EDUF) was selected to separate a herring milt hydrolysate (HMH) in a scale-up and long-term study for the recovery of bioactive peptides. The scale-up was performed to maximise peptide recovery by placing a total membrane area of 0.08 m [...] Read more.
Electrodialysis with ultrafiltration membrane (EDUF) was selected to separate a herring milt hydrolysate (HMH) in a scale-up and long-term study for the recovery of bioactive peptides. The scale-up was performed to maximise peptide recovery by placing a total membrane area of 0.08 m2 for each anionic and cationic compartment. Twelve consecutive runs were carried out, for a total of 69 h, with minimal salt solution cleaning in between experiments. The final peptide migration rate showed that cationic peptides had a higher average migration rate (5.2 ± 0.8 g/m2·h), compared to anionic peptides (4.7 ± 1.1 g/m2·h). Migration was also selective according to peptide identifications and molecular mass distribution where only small molecular weights were found (<1000 Da) in both recovery compartments. The areal system resistance slightly decreased during each run and the averaged values were stable in between experiments since they were all found in the 95% confidence interval. In addition, total relative energy consumption was quite consistent with an average value of 39.95 ± 6.47 Wh/g all along the 12 consecutive runs. Finally, according to membrane characterization, there was no visual fouling on the different membranes present in the EDUF cell after 69 h of treatment. This may be due to the salt cleaning in between experiments which allowed removal of peptides from the membranes, thus allowing recovering initial system working parameters at the beginning of each run. The entire process was revealed to be very consistent and repeatable in terms of peptide migration, global system resistance, and energy consumption. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time such EDUF conditions (membrane surface, duration, and minimal salt cleaning between experiments) are being tested on a complex hydrolysate. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ion-Exchange Membranes: From Synthesis to Applications)
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13 pages, 5089 KiB  
Article
Water Electrolysis Using a Porous IrO2/Ti/IrO2 Catalyst Electrode and Nafion Membranes at Elevated Temperatures
by Je-Deok Kim and Akihiro Ohira
Membranes 2021, 11(5), 330; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes11050330 - 30 Apr 2021
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 4333
Abstract
Porous IrO2/Ti/IrO2 catalyst electrodes were obtained by coating IrO2 on both sides of three types of porous Ti powder sheets (sample 1, sample 2, and sample 3) using different surface treatment methods, and a hydrogen evolution catalyst electrode was [...] Read more.
Porous IrO2/Ti/IrO2 catalyst electrodes were obtained by coating IrO2 on both sides of three types of porous Ti powder sheets (sample 1, sample 2, and sample 3) using different surface treatment methods, and a hydrogen evolution catalyst electrode was obtained by coating Pt/C on carbon gas diffusion layers. A Nafion115 membrane was used as an electrolyte for the membrane electrode assemblies (MEA). Water electrolysis was investigated at cell temperatures up to 150 °C, and the electrical characteristics of the three types of porous IrO2/Ti/IrO2 catalyst electrodes were investigated. The sheet resistance of sample 1 was higher than those of samples 2 and 3, although during water electrolysis, a high current density was observed due to the nanostructure of the IrO2 catalyst. In addition, the structural stabilities of Nafion and Aquivion membranes up to 150 °C were investigated by using small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). The polymer structures of Nafion and Aquivion membranes were stable up to 80 °C, whereas the crystalline domains grew significantly above 120 °C. In other words, the initial polymer structure did not recover after the sample was heated above the glass transition temperature. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ion-Exchange Membranes: From Synthesis to Applications)
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17 pages, 3300 KiB  
Article
Evaluation of Electrodialysis Desalination Performance of Novel Bioinspired and Conventional Ion Exchange Membranes with Sodium Chloride Feed Solutions
by AHM Golam Hyder, Brian A. Morales, Malynda A. Cappelle, Stephen J. Percival, Leo J. Small, Erik D. Spoerke, Susan B. Rempe and W. Shane Walker
Membranes 2021, 11(3), 217; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes11030217 - 19 Mar 2021
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 5676
Abstract
Electrodialysis (ED) desalination performance of different conventional and laboratory-scale ion exchange membranes (IEMs) has been evaluated by many researchers, but most of these studies used their own sets of experimental parameters such as feed solution compositions and concentrations, superficial velocities of the process [...] Read more.
Electrodialysis (ED) desalination performance of different conventional and laboratory-scale ion exchange membranes (IEMs) has been evaluated by many researchers, but most of these studies used their own sets of experimental parameters such as feed solution compositions and concentrations, superficial velocities of the process streams (diluate, concentrate, and electrode rinse), applied electrical voltages, and types of IEMs. Thus, direct comparison of ED desalination performance of different IEMs is virtually impossible. While the use of different conventional IEMs in ED has been reported, the use of bioinspired ion exchange membrane has not been reported yet. The goal of this study was to evaluate the ED desalination performance differences between novel laboratory‑scale bioinspired IEM and conventional IEMs by determining (i) limiting current density, (ii) current density, (iii) current efficiency, (iv) salinity reduction in diluate stream, (v) normalized specific energy consumption, and (vi) water flux by osmosis as a function of (a) initial concentration of NaCl feed solution (diluate and concentrate streams), (b) superficial velocity of feed solution, and (c) applied stack voltage per cell-pair of membranes. A laboratory‑scale single stage batch-recycle electrodialysis experimental apparatus was assembled with five cell‑pairs of IEMs with an active cross-sectional area of 7.84 cm2. In this study, seven combinations of IEMs (commercial and laboratory-made) were compared: (i) Neosepta AMX/CMX, (ii) PCA PCSA/PCSK, (iii) Fujifilm Type 1 AEM/CEM, (iv) SUEZ AR204SZRA/CR67HMR, (v) Ralex AMH-PES/CMH-PES, (vi) Neosepta AMX/Bare Polycarbonate membrane (Polycarb), and (vii) Neosepta AMX/Sandia novel bioinspired cation exchange membrane (SandiaCEM). ED desalination performance with the Sandia novel bioinspired cation exchange membrane (SandiaCEM) was found to be competitive with commercial Neosepta CMX cation exchange membrane. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ion-Exchange Membranes: From Synthesis to Applications)
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Review

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14 pages, 1278 KiB  
Review
The Application of Cation Exchange Membranes in Electrochemical Systems for Ammonia Recovery from Wastewater
by Kai Yang and Mohan Qin
Membranes 2021, 11(7), 494; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes11070494 - 30 Jun 2021
Cited by 25 | Viewed by 7918
Abstract
Electrochemical processes are considered promising technologies for ammonia recovery from wastewater. In electrochemical processes, cation exchange membrane (CEM), which is applied to separate compartments, plays a crucial role in the separation of ammonium nitrogen from wastewater. Here we provide a comprehensive review on [...] Read more.
Electrochemical processes are considered promising technologies for ammonia recovery from wastewater. In electrochemical processes, cation exchange membrane (CEM), which is applied to separate compartments, plays a crucial role in the separation of ammonium nitrogen from wastewater. Here we provide a comprehensive review on the application of CEM in electrochemical systems for ammonia recovery from wastewater. Four kinds of electrochemical systems, including bioelectrochemical systems, electrochemical stripping, membrane electrosorption, and electrodialysis, are introduced. Then we discuss the role CEM plays in these processes for ammonia recovery from wastewater. In addition, we highlight the key performance metrics related to ammonia recovery and properties of CEM membrane. The limitations and key challenges of using CEM for ammonia recovery are also identified and discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ion-Exchange Membranes: From Synthesis to Applications)
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