Enhancement of electrodialysis performances using pulsing electric fields during extended period operation

Many methods have been considered for mitigating and minimizing fouling potentials in the electrodialysis process, because fouling of ion exchange membranes is one of the significant considerations in process design and operation. In the observation of foulant behaviors, it was observed that the humate was deposited and formed a loosely packed fouling layer on the anion-exchange membrane surfaces, thus having reversible fouling effects on the process. In order to investigate the effects of the frequencies on the electrodialysis performance during fouling experiments in the presence of humate, the square-wave powers having various frequencies in the electric fields were employed. The results showed that the pulsing electric fields mitigated the fouling potential and that there exists an optimal frequency for the minimization of the fouling potential. Also, the pulsation of the electric field with an optimal frequency reduced the fouling potential of the already fouled membrane systems in the continuous batch runs. It was suggested that the electric field with pulsing effects enhanced the electrophoretic mobilities of the charged foulants, thus decreasing fouling potentials.