Optimizing Electrochemical Deionization for Enhanced Selective Ion Separation

Summary

As the world's critical and non-renewable resources are consumed at an alarming rate, recycling and reusing these materials become increasingly important. Resources such as phosphate, lithium, and nitrate can be recovered from wastewater streams, lake brines, and seawater. Some recycling methods require additional chemicals. However, it is also possible to separate and recover charged species by using an electric field to adsorb them into different types of electrodes without the need for extra chemicals, temporarily storing the ions within the electrodes. These stored ions can then be released by turning off or reversing the electric field, a process similar to charging and discharging a battery. Consequently, some of the energy used to adsorb the ions can be recovered during their release. This thesis explores various methods to impart selective properties needed to achieve ion separation via electrochemical deionization.