Modelling Sodium Chloride Concentration from Seawater Reverse Osmosis Brine by Electrodialysis: Preliminary Results

Electrodialysis (ED) was studied as a technology to concentrate NaCl from SWRO reject in order to be reused in the chlor-alkali industry. A mathematical model was developed based on Nernst-Planck equations to predict the performance of the Barcelona ED pilot plant. Several of the model parameters were obtained experimentally and others were taken from the literature. The model was able to accurately predict the NaCl concentration reached, the time required to reach maximum concentration, and production overflow as a function of the operation conditions. In this article, the mathematical model is fully described and validated with preliminary experimental results obtained.