ABSTRACT
The intersection of electrochemical processes with membrane technology is a growing prospect in desalination and water treatment. The availability of electrically conductive systems is likely to reduce energy costs through rapid detection, self-cleaning and tunable performance.
The multidimensional functionalities of electrically conductive systems in desalination systems is likely to reduce or eliminate the need for complex pretreatment systems, which simplifies the desalination process, reduces capital and operating costs while removing foulants and retaining high RO membrane lifetime and low downtime. With less chemical usage, smaller footprint, lower capital cost than either conventional or MF/UF pretreatment, electrically conducting systems are promising, their potential in savings resulting from lower pretreatment depends strongly on materials involved, their electrocatalytic properties and feed characteristics. However, the upscaling of electrically conductive membrane systems depends on many aspects which have been discussed in this chapter. Specifically, large-scale applications require low cost scalable fabrication techniques and methods to incorporate electrically conductive membranes and spacers in existing modules. Further process optimization is needed which is material and/or process-specific to minimize energy costs, as data on energy analysis remains limited. Additionally, the toxicological effects of using nanomaterials in membrane and spacer elements need to be systematically assessed.
