The application of advanced membrane processes for drinking water treatment is hampered by the management of the concentrated membrane residuals. This byproduct is typically treated as waste, with the associated costs for disposal. In this study we tested electrolysis as an approach to recover potentially useful products from this waste stream, mitigating its cost of disposal. Aqueous solutions of Mg(NO 3 ) 2 , MgCl 2 , or MgSO 4 similar in concentration to those measured in typical membrane concentrates were utilized as test solutions. Cathodic reduction of these solutions resulted in the deposition of brucite, Mg(OH) 2 , coatings on the surface of the carbon electrode. Recovery was tested in potentiostatic and galvanostatic modes as a function of process parameters and solution composition. Recovery was observed to increase with time, applied voltage, and cell current. The mass deposited also depended upon the electrolyte anion, with under the conditions studied solutions of MgCl 2 being the most amenable to electrolysis.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.