Analysis of Operational Parameters in Acid and Base Production Using an Electrodialysis with Bipolar Membranes Pilot Plant.

In agreement with the Water Framework Directive, Circular Economy and European Union (EU) Green Deal packages, the EU-funded WATER-MINING project aims to validate next-generation water resource solutions at the pre-commercial demonstration scale in order to provide water management and recovery of valuable materials from alternative sources. In the framework of the WATER-MINING project, desalination brines from the Lampedusa (Italy) seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) plant will be used to produce freshwater and recover valuable salts by integrating different technologies. In particular, electrodialysis with bipolar membranes (EDBM) will be used to produce chemicals (NaOH and HCl).

Technical and Environmental Feasibilities of the Commercial Production of NaOH from Brine by Means of an Integrated EDBM and Evaporation Process.

Electrodialysis with bipolar membranes (EDBMs) is a technology that offers a great potential for the introduction of the principles of a circular economy in the desalination industry, by providing a strategy for the recovery of HCl and NaOH from brine via the process of seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO). Both chemicals are widely employed in desalination facilities, however NaOH presents a special interest due to its higher requirements and cost. Nevertheless, the standard commercial concentrations that are commonly employed in the facilities cannot be obtained using the state of the art EDBM technology itself.

Environmental sustainability assessment of seawater reverse osmosis brine valorization by means of electrodialysis with bipolar membranes.

The integration of electrodialysis with bipolar membranes (EDBM) with seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) process influences the two main environmental burdens of SWRO desalination process: climate change, accounted here as carbon footprint (CF) and associated to the high-energy consumption, and the environmental alteration of the vicinities of the facility, due to brine disposal. EDBM powered by photovoltaic (PV) solar energy is able to meet the above-mentioned challenges that arise in SWRO desalination. In addition, HCl and NaOH, both employed in the desalination industry, can be produced from the brines.