Fabrication of cation exchange membrane with excellent stabilities for electrodialysis: A study of effective sulfonation degree in ion transport mechanism

High-Performance Monovalent Selective Cation Exchange Membranes with Ionically Cross-Linkable Side Chains: Effect of the Acidic Groups

Inspired by the charge-governed protein channels located in the cell membrane, a series of polyether ether ketone-based polymers with side chains containing ionically cross-linkable quaternary ammonium groups and acidic groups have been designed and synthesized to prepare monovalent cation-selective membranes (MCEMs). Three acidic groups (sulfonic acid, carboxylic acid, and phenolic hydroxyl) with different acid dissociation constant (pKa) were selected to form the ionic cross-linking structure with quaternary ammonium groups in the membranes. The ionic cross-linking induced the nanophase separation and constructed ionic channels, which resulted in excellent mechanical performance and high cation fluxes. Interesting, the cation flux of membranes increased as the ionization of acidic groups increase, but the selectivity of MCEMs did not follow the same trend, which was mainly dependent on the affinity between the functional groups and the cations. Carboxyl group-containing MCEMs exhibited the best selectivity (9.01 for Li+/Mg2+), which was higher than that of the commercial monovalent cation-selective CIMS membrane. Therefore, it is possible to prepare stable MCEMs through a simple process using ionically cross-linkable polymers, and tuning acidic groups in the membranes provided an attractive approach to improving the cation flux and selectivity of MCEMs.

Compositing of MOFs with ceramic and nanoparticles for efficient and rapid adsorptive desalination of artificial seawater or NaCl solution

Poor water availability with the fast-growing population creates crucial issues for universal water security, and efficient approaches ought to be accomplished to balance the demand and supply. One of the most energy- and cost-effective methods for removing NaCl is adsorption desalination. Metal-organic frameworks with ceramic and nanoparticles are a comparatively new research route that increases the desalination capacity. The synthesized composites were examined for efficient and rapid removal of NaCl from NaCl solution or artificial seawater. The adsorption desalination properties were analyzed based on adsorption isotherm, adsorption kinetics, contact time, NaCl, and adsorbent dosage. The adsorptive desalination rate of ZnO@MIL88A(Fe)@α-cordierite composite was only decreased by 4% as the maximum loss after 5 consecutive cycles.

A comprehensive review on the synthesis and applications of ion exchange membranes

Ion exchange membranes (IEMs) are undergoing prosperous development in recent years. More than 30,000 papers which are indexed by Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE) have been published on IEMs during the past twenty years (2001-2020). Especially, more than 3000 papers are published in the year of 2020, revealing researchers' great interest in this area. This paper firstly reviews the different types (e.g., cation exchange membrane, anion exchange membrane, proton exchange membrane, bipolar membrane) and electrochemical properties (e.g., permselectivity, electrical resistance/ionic conductivity) of IEMs and the corresponding working principles, followed by membrane synthesis methods, including the common solution casting method. Especially, as a promising future direction, green synthesis is critically discussed. IEMs are extensively applied in various applications, which can be generalized into two big categories, where the water-based category mainly includes electrodialysis, diffusion dialysis and membrane capacitive deionization, while the energy-based category mainly includes reverse electrodialysis, fuel cells, redox flow battery and electrolysis for hydrogen production. These applications are comprehensively discussed in this paper. This review may open new possibilities for the future development of IEMs.

High-Efficiency and Sustainable Desalination Using Thermo-regenerable MOF-808-EDTA: Temperature-Regulated Proton Transfer

Adsorption as a desalination approach has the advantages of energy efficiency, low cost, and operational convenience, but its practical application is limited by low desalination capacity, consumption/disposal of strong acids/bases as regeneration reagents, and poor reusability. Herein, we synthesized a thermo-regenerable salt absorbent by grafting ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) onto a metal-organic framework (MOF), MOF-808-EDTA, which could rapidly adsorb NaCl within 30 min from saline water at 25 °C with a desalination capacity as high as 9.4 mmol/g. Moreover, the saturated adsorbent could be facilely regenerated in 80 °C water. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and derivative thermogravimetry revealed that temperature-regulated proton transfer between amino and carboxyl groups was the mechanism of thermo-regeneration. EDTA on MOF-808-EDTA appears in a zwitterionic state in water at room temperature, which allowed simultaneous adsorption of Na⁺ and Cl^-. At elevated temperature, it returned to a nonionic state accompanied by the desorption of ions. A similar temperature-dependent adsorption-regeneration process was also observed for other salts, including LiCl, KCl, CaCl₂, and MgCl₂. Column experiments of brackish groundwater showed that 1 g of MOF-808-EDTA could produce ∼106 mL of fresh water (total dissolved solids < 600 mg/L) without significant capacity loss after 10 successive adsorption-regeneration cycles. This study is the first to propose an EDTA-based MOF for desalination and indicates the potential of MOF-808-EDTA as a green adsorbent for sustainable water desalination.

Effects of feed composition on the fouling on cation-exchange membranes desalinating polymer-flooding produced water

HYPOTHESIS

Cation exchange membranes (CEMs) are subject to fouling when utilized to desalinate wastewater from the oil and gas industry, hampering their performance. The kind and extent of the fouling are most likely dependent on the composition of the stream, which in practical applications can vary significantly.

EXPERIMENTS

Fouling experiments were performed on commercial cation exchange membranes, which were used in electrodialysis runs to desalinate solutions of varying composition. The variations included ionic strength, type of ions, amount of viscosifying polyelectrolyte (partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide), presence of crude oil, and surfactants. Performance parameters, like electric potential and pH, were monitored during the runs, after which the membranes were recovered and analyzed.

FINDINGS

Fouling was detected on most CEMs and occurred mainly in the presence of the viscosifying polyelectrolyte. Under normal pH conditions (pH ~ 8), the polyelectrolyte fouled the concentrate side of the CEMs, as expected due to electrophoresis. However, by applying a current in the opposite direction, the polyelectrolyte layer could be removed. Precipitation occurred mostly on the opposite side of the membrane, with different morphology depending on the feed composition.