Exploring the Potential of Electrodialysis
Abstract
Electrodialysis is an electrochemical membrane separation technique for electrolyte solutions that is used in several industries for a wide variety of applications. Students at the undergraduate level can learn the principles that govern electrodialysis and perform relatively simple experiments to examine fundamental operating parameters. This paper describes a hands-on investigation of electrodialysis that introduces the fundamental principles, design, and applications of electrodialysis technology. The effects of various process operating conditions on the system performance are explored experimentally. Emphasis is given to data analysis and engineering calculations related to rate of ion transfer, Faraday’s law, efficiency, energy consumption, and separation performance. These experiments can be implemented in core chemical engineering courses such as unit operations and separation processes, or in elective or graduate-level courses in green/environmental engineering, wastewater treatment, electrochemical engineering, pharmaceutical engineering, and food engineering.