Membrane electrolysis distillation for volatile fatty acids extraction from pH-neutral fermented wastewater

Volatile fatty acids (VFAs) serve as building blocks for a wide range of chemicals, but it is difficult to extract VFAs from pH-neutral wastewater using evaporation methods because of the ionized form. This study presents a new membrane electrolysis distillation (MED) process that extracts VFAs from such fermentation solutions. MED uniquely integrates pH regulation and joule heating to facilitate the efficient evaporation of VFAs. This integration occurs alongside a hydrophobic membrane that ensures effective gas-liquid phase separation. Operating solely on electricity, MED achieved an acid flux rate of 12.03 g/m²/h at 6V. In contrast, the control results without the joule heating or pH swing only obtained a 0.23 g/m²/h and 0.32 g/m²/h flux, respectively. In addition, a physicochemical model was developed to assess the impacts of temperature on membrane surface pH. This system enhances resource recovery from waste streams and helps achieve a circular carbon economy.