In order to address the increasing demand for fresh water due to accelerated social and economic growth in the world, water treatment technologies, such as desalination, have been rapidly developed in attempts to safeguard water security. Electromembrane desalination processes, such as electrodialysis and membrane capacitive deionization, belong to a category of desalination technologies, which involve the removal of ions from ionic solutions with the use of electrically charged membranes termed ion exchange membranes. The challenges associated with ion exchange membranes have drawn the attention of many researchers, who have investigated various approaches to enhance their properties. The incorporation of nanomaterials is one of the popular approaches employed. Much research on nanomaterials incorporated ion exchange membranes was conducted for the purpose of fuel cell applications rather than electromembrane desalination. This review reports on the advances in nanomaterials incorporated ion exchange membranes applicable to desalination. The nanomaterials employed in ion exchange membranes fabrication include carbon nanotubes, graphene-based nanomaterials, silica, titanium (IV) oxide, aluminum oxide, zeolite, iron (II, III) oxide, zinc oxide, and silver. The aims of this article are to provide a snap shot of the current status of nanomaterials incorporation in ion exchange membranes, to assess the status of nanomaterials-facilitated ion exchange membranes research for electromembrane desalination, and to stimulate progress in this area.
Scaling produces devastating effects to both households and industries. It causes pipe blockages, damage to desalination membranes, and reduction in efficiency of heat exchangers and boilers.Chemical treatment of scale is effective but renders water unfit for human use and potentially alters the ecological balance with release of substances capable of promoting eutrophication and algal blooms.'Greener' means of addressing this issue must be brought forward.Anti-scaling magnetic units could be a potent alternative, because they cost less and are easy to install.The benefits are both economic and ecological -reduced expenditure on scale remediation, improved water conditions for human use and reduction in release of harmful substances to the environment.Scaling is the bane of households and industries that make use of water frequently. The consequences are so egregious that harmful chemicals have been sort after to remedy the situation. These chemicals, though efficacious, do more harm than good because they render water unsuitable for human consumption and cause ecological imbalance. Anti-scale magnetic water devices offer a cleaner solution to handling the scaling dilemma. This method of water treatment has been in existence for more than a century and is still the subject of much debate today, with the method being viewed with much skepticism, although evidence of its efficacy has been provided on countless occasions. Reports are given on several effects associated with magnetic water treatment, as well as proposed mechanisms. Yet no general consensus has been reached regarding the treatment method's mode of operation, which could explain the cynical reception magnetic water devices often receive. Insights into the enigmatic technique of magnetic water treatment attempt to explain magnetic effects on water and its constituents, citing explanations, which are unrelated with the current principles of magnetism. The several reports and accounts that involve the use and application of anti-scale magnetic water treatment are elucidated with special focus on calcium carbonate scale and its transformation.
Reaching beyond the upper limits of electromembrane desalination processes with novel graphene-based nanocomposite anion exchange membranes.
We report the preparation of an electrostatically-coupled graphene oxide nanocomposite cation exchange membrane (CEM) based on sulfonic group containing graphene oxide (SGO) (45 wt % loading) and polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), where the ion exchange groups were provided by the SGO additive. SGO was prepared via the mixing of graphene oxide (GO) with a mixture derived from 3,4-dihydroxy-L-phenylalanine (L-DOPA) and poly(sodium 4-styrenesulfonate) (PSS). A mold-casting technique was developed to fabricate the free-standing nanocomposite CEM. The presence of sulfonic groups in the nanocomposite was confirmed with FTIR spectroscopy. Energy dispersive spectroscopy analysis showed the SGO was distributed across the entire membrane matrix, with minimal aggregation. The resultant SGO/PVDF nanocomposite CEM membrane demonstrated high hydrophilicity and high water uptake, but low swelling ratio. Furthermore, evaluation of the electrochemical properties of the nanocomposite CEM showed favorable ion exchange capacity (0.63 ± 0.08 meq/g), permselectivity (0.95 ± 0.04), and area resistance (2.8 ± 0.2 Ω cm 2 ). The nanocomposite CEM show good potential for use in electromembrane desalination applications.
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