Separation of mono- and di-valent ions from seawater reverse osmosis brine using selective electrodialysis

As water scarcity has become a serious global issue, seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) is considered as a promising technique to expand traditional water supplies. However, the reject brine from SWRO systems is still a major environmental concern. In this research, the monovalent selective electrodialysis (S-ED) was used to separate and recover one of the primary components, i.e., sodium chloride, from the SWRO brine, thereby avoiding the direct discharge of the brine and achieving the brine valorization. The permselectivity of selective ion-exchange membranes (IEMs) was elucidated by comparing with the standard IEMs in structure-property via membrane characterization techniques. Results indicated that the permselectivity of Selemion CSO membrane was attributed to the positive-charged layer with a low sulfonate/ammonium ratio of 1.28. Whereas the permselectivity of Selemion ASV membrane resulted from the highly cross-linked layer, according to the similar content of the fixed quaternary amines and the shift of the C-N absorption peak. In addition, the effects of the current density and temperature on the membrane performance were studied, including permselectivity (P-Mg2+(Na+) and P-SO42-(Cl-)), Na+ recovery, and specific energy consumption (E-SEC) Finally, the NaCl-rich brine with the total dissolved solid (TDS) value of 167.5 +/- 3.3 g/L was obtained using SWRO brine with the initial TDS of 76.8 g/L. The Na+/Mg2+ mass ratio of the concentrate was 222.4, compared with the initial value of 9.7 in SWRO brine.

Automated summary

This study successfully separated and recovered sodium chloride from SWRO brine using monovalent selective electrodialysis technology, effectively avoiding direct discharge of the brine and achieving brine valorization. The research also examined the effects of current density and temperature on membrane performance, yielding significant results.