Quantitative Effects of Electrodialysis Membrane Fouling

To meet the ever-increasing global demand for fresh water, research is constantly being conducted on separation and purification methods. Electrodialysis (ED) is one of the major technologies that seems able to make significant headway in combatting water shortages. As with all technologies, it is limited by certain aspects, one of those being membrane fouling. This research takes a look at the surprisingly unexamined phenomenon of membrane fouling in ED systems. The ED system studied was tested using conductivity probing, limiting current density analysis, and quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation analysis. Investigation of fouling effects commonly seen in ubiquitous ED systems produced data indicating that fouling increased rather than decreased permeant flux and separation rate, and increased the limiting current density of the system from 23.98 (A/m2) to 31.43 (A/m2). A brief explanation is offered for this phenomenon, and future research directions are recommended