• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.39 no.6
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• pp.513-518
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• 2015

Salinity gradient power (SGP) has attracted significant attention because of its high potential. In this study, we evaluate reverse electrodialysis (RED) with various compositions of available resources. The polarization curve (I-V characteristics) shows linear behavior, and therefore the power density curve has a parabolic shape. We measure the power density with varying compartment thicknesses and inlet flow rates. The gross power density increases with decreasing compartment thickness and increasing flow rate. The net power density, which is the gross power density minus the pumping power, has a maximum value at a compartment thickness of 0.2 mm and an inlet flow rate of 22.5 mL/min. The power density in RED is also evaluated with compositions of desalination brines, seawater, river water, wastewater, and brackish water. A maximum power density of $1.75W/m^2$ is obtained when brine discharged from forward osmosis (FO) and river water are used as the concentrated and the diluted solutions, respectively.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.41 no.5
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• pp.347-352
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• 2017

Reverse electrodialysis (RED), which generates electrical energy from the difference in concentration of two solutions, has been actively studied owing to its high potential and the increased interest in renewable energy resulting from the Paris Agreement on climate change. For RED commercialization, its power density needs to be maximized, and therefore various methods have been discussed. In this paper, the power density was measured using various flow shapes based on the aspect ratio, opening ratio, and number of distribution channels. We found that the power density is enhanced with a decrease in the aspect ratio and an increase in the opening ratio and number of distribution channels.

• Prospectives of Industrial Chemistry
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• v.14 no.6
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• pp.21-28
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• 2011

이온교환막을 이용한 전기적 탈염기술은 막모듈 내에 양이온교환막과 음이온교환막을 교대로 장착시키고 모듈의 양단 전극에 전압을 적용함으로써 물속에 용존되어 있는 양이온과 음이온들을 전기의 힘을 이용하여 선택적으로 투과시키는 원리를 기반으로 하는 청정공정 기술이다. 이온교환막 공정은 전통적으로 산/알칼리의 생산, 산업폐수의 중금속의 제거, 해수의 담수화, 반도체 산업의 초순수의 제조, 해수에서 식염의 제조, 발효산업의 유기산 및 아미노산의 회수 등 다양한 산업분야에서 응용되어 왔다. 최근에는 이러한 기존의 응용분야에서 벗어나 새롭게 응용분야가 넓어지고 있다. 이온교환막과 다공성 탄소전극을 결합한 막축전식 해수담수화기술, 해수와 담수의 염도차를 이용한 역전기투석식 해수발전 등의 새로운 선택분리기능 및 응용분야를 가진 이온교환막의 개발 및 공정에 관한 연구가 활발히 이루어지고 있다. 그러나 국내에서는 이온교환막이 아직 상용화되지 않고 있어 이온교환막을 이용한 응용연구가 활발하게 진행되지 못하고 있어 그 개발이 시급하다. 본 논문에서는 먼저 이온교환막을 이용한 전기투석식 탈염기술, 물분해 전기투석, 전기탈이온 공정에 관한 동향을 조사하였다. 아울러 미래의 이온교환막의 응용기술인 해수담수화기술로서 역삼투법과 경쟁하여 에너지를 낮게 소모할 것으로 예상되는 분리막을 이용한 막축전식 탈염기술과 무한한 신재생에너지원인 해수와 담수를 이용한 역전기투석 해수발전기술에 대해 기술의 원리들과 최근의 연구동향 등을 정리하였다.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.181-190
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• 2023

Wastewater purification is one of the most important techniques for controlling environmental pollution and fulfilling the demand for freshwater supply. Various technologies, such as different types of distillations and reverse osmosis processes, need higher energy input. Capacitive deionization (CDI) is an alternative method in which power consumption is deficient and works on the supercapacitor principle. Research is going on to improve the electrode materials to improve the efficiency of the process. A reverse electrodialysis (RED) is the most commonly used desalination technology and osmotic power generator. Among many studies conducted to enhance the efficiency of RED, MXene, as an ion exchange membrane (IEM) and 2D nanofluidic channels in IEM, is rising as a promising way to improve the physical and electrochemical properties of RED. It is used alone and other polymeric materials are mixed with MXene to enhance the performance of the membrane further. The maximum desalination performances of MXene with preconditioning, Ti₃C₂T_x, Nafion, and hetero-structures were respectively measured, proving the potential of MXene for a promising material in the desalination industry. In terms of osmotic power generating via RED, adopting MXene as asymmetric nanofluidic ion channels in IEM significantly improved the maximum osmotic output power density, most of them surpassing the commercialization benchmark, 5 Wm^-2. By connecting the number of unit cells, the output voltage reaches the point where it can directly power the electronic devices without any intermediate aid. The studies around MXene have significantly increased in recent years, yet there is more to be revealed about the application of MXene in the membrane and osmotic power-generating industry. This review discusses the electrodialysis process based on MXene composite membrane.

• Clean Technology
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.1-14
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• 2017

At high nitrate concentrations, water must be treated to meet regulated concentrations because it results in threat to human health and eutrophication of natural water. However, it is almost impossible to remove nitrate by conventional water treatment methods such as coagulation, filtration and precipitation, due to its high water solubility. Therefore, other technologies including adsorption, ion exchange, reverse osmosis, denitrification, and electrodialysis are required to effectively remove nitrate. Each of these technologies has their own strengths and drawbacks and their feasibility is weighted against factors such as cost, water quality improvement, residuals handling, and pre-treatment requirements. An adsorption technique is the most popular and common process because of its cost effectiveness, ease of operation, and simplicity of design. Surface modifications of adsorbents have been enhanced their adsorption of nitrate. The nitrate-selective membrane process of electrodialysis reversal and reverse osmosis have proven over time and at many locations to be highly effective in removing nitrate contaminating problems in aqueous solutions. Both electrodiaysis and reverse osmosis methods generate highly concentrated wastes and need careful consideration with respect to disposal.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.43-54
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• 2016

In this study, we have prepared engineering polymer-based ionomers and pore-filled ion-exchange membranes (PFIEMs) employing a porous polyethylene substrate and combined them to fabricate the ionomer-PFIEM composite membranes for the reverse electrodialysis (RED) application. Both the electrochemical properties comparable to those of the commercial ion-exchange membranes (AMX/CMX, Astom Corp., Japan) and the physical stability adaptable to the practical uses have been achieved by integrating the ionomers having a high ion conductivity and the PFIEMs with an excellent mechanical strength. The RED performances have been evaluated by employing the prepared ionomer-PFIEM composite membranes and therefore excellent power generation performances were shown as the levels of 86.4% and 104.8% for the anion-exchange membrane and cation-exchange membrane, respectively, compared with those of the commercial membranes.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.336-347
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• 2022

Reverse electrodialysis (RED) is one of the promising eco-friendly renewable energy technologies which can generate electricity from the concentration difference between seawater and freshwater by using ion-exchange membranes as a diaphragm. The ion-exchange membrane is a key component that determines the performance of RED, and must satisfy requirements such as low electrical resistance, high permselectivity, excellent durability, and low manufacturing cost. In this study, pore-filled anion-exchange membranes were fabricated using porous polymer substrates having various thicknesses and porosity, and the effects of ion-exchange polymer composition and membrane thickness on the power generation performance of RED were investigated. When the electrical resistance of the ion-exchange membrane is sufficiently low, it can be confirmed that the RED power generation performance is mainly influenced by the apparent permselectivity of the membrane. In addition, it was confirmed that the apparent permselectivity of the membranes can be improved through IEC, crosslinking degree, membrane thickness, surface modification, etc., and the optimum condition must be found in consideration of the trade-off relationship with electrical resistance.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.70-78
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• 2024

A photo-crosslinked anion exchange membrane (AEM) based on quaternary-aminated polyacrylates was developed for reverse electrodialysis (RED). Although reverse electrodialysis is a clean and renewable energy generation system, the low power output and high membrane cost are serious obstacles to its commercialization. Cross-linked AEMs without any polymer supporters were fabricated through photo-crosslinking between polymer-typed acrylates with anion conducting groups, in particular, polymer-typed acrylates were synthesized based on engineering plastic with outstanding mechanical and chemical property. The fabricated membranes showed outstanding physical, chemical, and electrochemical properties. The area resistance of the fabricated membranes (CQAPPOA-20, CQAPPOA-35, and CQAPPOA-50) were ~50% lower than that of AMV (2.6 Ω cm²). Moreover, the transport number of CQAPPOA-35 wase comparable to that of AMV, despite the thin thickness (40 ㎛) of the fabricated membranes. The RED stack with the CQAPPOA-35 membrane provided an excellent maximum power density of 2.327 W m^-2 at a flow rate of 100 mL min^-1, which is 15% higher than that (2.026 W m^-2) of the RED stack with the AMV membrane. Considering easy fabrication process by UV photo-crosslinking and outstanding RED stack properties, the CQAPPOA-35 membrane is a promising candidate for REDs.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.621-626
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• 2010

Anion exchange membranes can be used for reverse electrodialysis for electric energy generation, and capacitive deionization for water purification, as well as electrodialysis for desalination. In this study, anion exchange membranes of poly((vinylbenzyl) trimethylammonium chloride-2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate)/poly(vinyl alcohol) were prepared through the polymerization of (vinylbenzyl)trimethylammonium chloride and 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate in aqueous poly(vinyl alcohol) solutions, esterification with glutaric acid, and cross-linking reaction with glutaraldehyde. We investigated electrochemical properties for the anion exchange membranes prepared according to experimental conditions. Ion exchange capacity and electrical resistance for the membranes were changed with a variation in the monomer ratio in polymerization. Water uptake and conductivity for the membranes decreased with an increase in the content of glutaric acid in esterification. The change in the time of crosslinking reaction with the formed film and glutaraldehyde affected electrochemical properties such as water uptake, conductivity, or transport number for the membranes. Chronopotentiometry and limiting current density for the anion exchange membranes prepared were measured.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.58-69
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• 2024

Reverse electrodialysis (RED) is an electro-membrane process employing ion-exchange membranes (IEMs) that can harvest electric energy from the concentration difference between seawater and river water. Multivalent ions contained in seawater and river water bind strongly to the fixed charge groups of the IEM, causing high resistance and reducing open-circuit voltage and power density through uphill transport. In this study, a pore-filled anion-exchange membrane (PFAEM) with excellent monovalent ion selectivity and electrochemical properties was fabricated and characterized for RED application. The monovalent ion selectivity of the prepared membrane was 3.65, which was superior to a commercial membrane (ASE, Astom Corp.) with a selectivity of 1.27 under the same conditions. Additionally, the prepared membrane showed excellent electrochemical properties, including low electrical resistance compared to ASE. As a result of evaluating RED performance under seawater of 0.459 M NaCl/0.0510 M Na₂SO₄ and river water of 0.0153 M NaCl/0.0017 M Na₂SO₄, the maximum power density of 1.80 W/m² was obtained by applying the prepared membrane, which is a 40.6% improved output performance compared to the ASE membrane.