Electrodialysis for recovering salts from a urine solution containing micropollutants

Electrodialysis was investigated for the separation of micropollutants from nutrients in anthropogenic urine. In a continuously operated process, the nutrients were concentrated up to a factor of 3.2. The concentration factor was limited by water transport across the membrane. Water transport was caused by osmosis and electroosmosis, and a model was developed to describe these phenomena. The removal of several spiked micropollutants was investigated in continuous electrodialysis experiments. Ethinylestradiol was removed completely during the whole operating period. Diclofenac and carbamazepine were initially retained, but limited permeation (5-10%) occurred after longer operating times (90 days). Retentions of propranolol and ibuprofen were also high initially, but substantial breakthroughs occurred during extended operation. Considerable adsorption on the membranes was observed for all compounds. The permeation mechanism of several compounds appears to depend on the adsorbed amount on the membrane, which indicates that partitioning and diffusion mechanisms play an important role in the permeation transport. Partial desorption occurred in leaching experiments with polarity reversal, and almost quantitative desorption was observed after incubation of the membranes with Filter Count Gel Solution. Because environmental concentrations are much lower than the concentrations spiked here, it can be anticipated that operation without significant permeation is possible in practice during extended periods of time.