Electrodialysis (ED) and Electrodialysis Reversal (EDR)

Water is becoming more scarce but even so it is still seen as a cheap commodity that is undervalued. However if that view is changed to look at wastewater becoming a valuable resource as well as generating purer water as a byproduct, then there can be changes to the industry. Electrodialysis (ED) does this process by an electric field gradient that allows the separation of minerals from feed water solution. It moves dissociated ions through ion-permselective membranes and forms two different flows – desalinated flow called diluate and a concentrated flow called concentrate (brine). This process can convert acid whey into sweet whey, help generate a non-thermal zero liquid discharge process or even simply help with generating a more robust treatment than all the prerequisites of reverse osmosis. All these systems can be designed to be operated in batch flow, feed & bleed or a single pass to reach the desired outcome.