Selective and Chemical-Free Removal of Toxic Heavy Metal Cations from Water Using Shock Ion Extraction

Electrochemical methods are known to have attractive features and capabilities when used for ion separations and water purification. In this study, we developed a new process called shock ion extraction (shock IX) for selective and chemical-free removal of toxic heavy metals from water. Shock IX is a hybrid process that combines shock electrodialysis (shock ED) and ion exchange using an ion exchange resin wafer (IERW), and this method can be thought of functionally as an electrochemically assisted variation of traditional ion exchange. In particular, shock IX exhibits greater ion removal and selectivity for longer periods of time, compared to the use of ion exchange alone. The use of an IERW in shock ED also increases multivalent ion selectivity, reduces energy consumption, and improves the hydrodynamics and scalability of the system.