Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 6, 2026

Ion-Exchange Membranes for the Fabrication of Reverse Electrodialysis Device
Published on: July 20, 2021
Performance of a continuous flow microbial reverse-electrodialysis electrolysis cell using a non-buffered substrate
Syarif Hidayat1, Young-Hyun Song1, Joo-Yang Park1
1Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Hanyang University, 222 Wangsimni-ro, Seongdong-gu, Seoul 133-791, Republic of Korea.
Abstract:
A continuous flow microbial reverse-electrodialysis electrolysis cell (MREC) was operated under non-buffered substrate with various flow rates of catholyte effluent into anode chamber to investigate the effects on the hydrogen gas production. Adding the catholyte effluent to the anolyte influent resulted in increased salt concentration in the anolyte influent. The increasing anolyte influent salt concentration to 0.23M resulted in improved hydrogen gas production, Coulombic recovery, yield, and hydrogen production rate to 25±1.4mL, 83±5%, 1.49±0.15mol-H2/mole-COD, 0.91±0.03m3-H2/m3-Van/day, respectively. These improvements were attributed to the neutral pH rather than increase in anolyte conductivity as there was no significant improvement in the reactor performance when the NaCl was directly added to the reactor. These results show that addition of catholyte effluent into the anode chamber improved the MREC performance.
Related Concept Videos
Electrolysis
Electrochemical Cells
Potentiometry: Membrane Electrodes
Controlled-Current Coulometry: Overview

