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• The effect of operating conditions on the desalination rate was studied. • Under various conditions, ion adsorption follows a quasi-first order kinetic model effectively. • MCDI outperforms other CDI methods in desalination rate and ion adsorption. • Optimal conditions: 1.6 V voltage, 30 mL/min flow rate, 1000 mg/L initial concentration. Membrane Capacitive Deionization (MCDI) is an efficient desalination technology using ion-selective membranes and capacitive principles to remove ions. Highly mineralized water flows through parallel electrode plates separated by ion-selective membranes. An applied electric field adsorbs ions onto electrodes, creating an electric double layer, and periodic field reversals release enriched ions back into the water while discharging ions on the electrode surfaces, enabling continuous deionization. This study aims to investigate the feasibility of using MCDI technology with Prussian blue analog (PBA)/carbon electrodes to treat highly mineralized water in oilfields. The desalination rate under different operating conditions is experimentally analyzed and compared. A comparison is made between the Capacitive De-Ionization (CDI) systems in terms of changes in conductivity, desalination rate, ion adsorption capacity, and ion adsorption rate. Results showed that compared to conventional CDI and Hybird-CDI (HCDI), MCDI demonstrates the highest desalination rate, ion adsorption capacity, and ion adsorption rate. It indicates that MCDI has significant advantages in treating highly mineralized water. At a voltage of 1.6 V, a flow rate of 30 mL·min−1, and an initial concentration of 1000 mg·L−1, the MCDI system exhibited the highest desalination efficiency. Under these conditions, the desalination rate was 43.4%, the electrosorption capacity was 54.75 mg·g−1, and the electrosorption rate was 0.018 mg·g−1·s−1. The study provides a viable solution for the treatment of highly mineralized water in oilfields and serves as a reference for further improvement and application of MCDI technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A method for operating membrane capacitive deionization (MCDI) systems without electrode reactions at a high cell potential was studied. The charge supplied to the cell was controlled to suppress Faradaic reactions. The maximum allowable charge (MAC) that can be supplied to a carbon electrode without electrode reactions was measured to be 58 C/g. Adsorption experiments were conducted while supplying a charge of 55 C/g (95% of the MAC value) in constant-current (CC) and constant-voltage (CV) mode. The cell potential increased to 1.42 V in CC (1.43–4.29 mA/cm2) mode, but the concentration and pH of the effluent were kept constant. In addition, the effluent pH was stable in CV (1.25–2.0 V) mode. The salt adsorption capacities and charge efficiencies were approximately 15.5 mg/g and 92%, respectively, regardless of the current densities and cell potentials applied to the cell. With increasing cell potential, the concentration polarization in the feed stream was intensified, resulting in an increase in cell resistance. It was thought that electrode reactions did not occur at a high cell potential because of the high voltage drop due to the cell resistance. The higher the cell potential (or current density) is, the faster the desalination rate in MCDI operation. It is expected that this operation method applying the MAC concept will contribute to the stable operation of MCDI systems and an improvement in desalination performance. Image 1 • A stable operation method for MCDI systems at high cell potentials was proposed. • Faradaic reactions were suppressed by controlling the charge supplied to the cell. • The MCDI desalination performance was stable regardless of cell potential. • The voltage drop due to cell resistance increased with increasing cell potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The ion exchange membrane (IEM) is a key component that helps achieve good performance in membrane capacitive deionization (MCDI). However, systematic researches have been limitedly conducted regarding the effect of IEM characteristics on MCDI performance. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of the characteristics of the cation exchange membrane (CEM) on MCDI performance. Salt adsorption capacity (SAC), maximum average deionization rate (MADR), and charge efficiency were chosen to demonstrate MCDI performances. Only MADR was significantly affected by CEM characteristics. Additionally, MADR showed a positive relationship with the transport number divided by total electrical resistance (R 2 = 0.83). Therefore, CEM should have a high transport number and low electrical resistance for fast rate-capable MCDI. The correlations between CEM characteristics and MCDI performances revealed through this study are expected to further develop high-performance MCDI. Highlights • Cation exchange membrane (CEM) properties for membrane CDI (MCDI) were examined. • Tested performance of MCDI were capacity, rate, and efficiency. • Among them, the rate performance was the most sensitive to CEM properties. • CEM with high transport number and low resistance showed good rate performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract A new standard metric has been developed to express the actual adsorption capacity of the carbon electrode in consideration of the electrode reactions. The adsorption experiments were carried out by changing the cell potentials (0.6–1.6 V) in the MCDI unit cell. The point at which the electrode reactions occur was determined from the change in instantaneous charge efficiency during the adsorption process. Then, the total charge supplied to the carbon electrode at this point was defined as the maximum allowable charge (MAC). The MAC values were constant at 59 C/g irrespective of cell potentials. In addition, the salt adsorption capacity (S A C M A C ) and the charge efficiency at MAC were approximately 16 mg/g and 91%, respectively, regardless of the cell potentials. Furthermore, the equivalent circuit analysis for the MCDI cell revealed that Faradaic reactions rarely occur at the MAC. The MAC is the maximum charge that can be supplied to the carbon electrode without electrode reactions. It is also unaffected by the cell components and operating conditions of the MCDI cell. Therefore, the MAC is expected to be a useful metric to objectively express the actual adsorption capacity of the carbon electrode. Graphical abstract Image 1 Highlights • The total charge supplied until Faradaic reactions occurred is defined as MAC. • The MAC values of the carbon electrode were constant regardless of the cell potentials. • The desalination performances at MAC were constant irrespective of the cell potentials. • MAC can be a useful metric to describe the adsorption capacity of carbon electrodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Capacitive deionization (CDI) has been considered as the most promising and environmentally friendly electrical desalination technology owing to its low energy consumption and no secondary pollution. CDI is based on the principle of electric double layer for salt ion adsorption, but the existence of co-ions repulsion reduce the charge efficiency, leading to the low salt adsorption capacity. To prevent the intrinsic "co-ion effect" inside the porous carbon electrodes, membrane capacitive deionization (MCDI) by applying an ion-exchange membrane (IEM) to the surface of electrode is of increasing interest. However, MCDI brings various resistances, such as the internal and interface resistances of membrane, as well as the contact resistance between membrane and carbon electrode. More recently, by integrating "membrane" with carbon electrode without the introduction of free-standing IEM, integrated-MCDI has shown great merits to enhance counter-ion selectivity of electrode and decrease resistance, resulting in improving adsorption rate and reducing energy consumption. In this review, the preparation methods of innovative electrodes, the working mechanisms and performances of integrated-MCDIs, and the advanced advantages are summarized. It is hoped that this work will provide insight into integrated-MCDI and shed light on the future direction of water desalination based on CDI technology. [Display omitted] • Integrated-MCDI has been developed without using free-standing IEM on electrode. • Integrated-MCDI outperforms MCDI on energy consumption, cost, and kinetic rate. • Integrated-MCDI has the potential of anti-organic pollution and ion-selective removal. • Review summarized current status of integrated-MCDI for water desalination. • The mechanisms of integrated-MCDI with different fabrication methods are analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Cyclic voltammetry (CV) measurements were performed for the MCDI cell. • The potential of minimum charge (PMC) of the MCDI cell was measured as −0.22 V. • The desorption rate was not significantly affected by the desorption potential. • The water splitting reaction occurred at a desorption potential below the PMC value. • The optimal desorption potential was equivalent to the PMC value for stable and effective operation of the MCDI cell. The optimal desorption potential (DP) for maximizing the salt adsorption capacity of a carbon electrode while maintaining the stable operation of a membrane capacitive deionization (MCDI) cell was studied. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) measurements were performed for the MCDI unit cell. Additionally, the adsorption and desorption characteristics of the MCDI cell were analyzed while changing the DP. The potential at which the charges of the carbon electrode become the minimum was defined as the potential of minimum charge (PMC). The PMC value was measured as −0.22 V from the cyclic voltammogram. In addition, as the cell potential increased, the adsorption capacity of the carbon electrode increased. However, the effect of the DP on the desorption rate was negligible. In DPs below the PMC value, all adsorbed ions were desorbed, but the effluent pH rapidly decreased due to the occurrence of a water splitting reaction at the interface between the carbon electrode and the ion exchange membrane. When the DP was set as greater than the PMC value, some ions remained on the carbon electrode, resulting in a decrease in the amount of adsorbed ions during the subsequent adsorption process. When the DP was equivalent to the PMC value, the adsorption capacity of the carbon electrode was maximally utilized, and the pH of the effluent was maintained in a stable state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A pilot-scale MCDI system was designed for ammonia recovery from municipal wastewater. • Different working conditions were optimized for ammonia recovery. • Competitive adsorption between Ca2+, Mg2+ and NH 4 + were discussed. • The MCDI system showed high stability in long-term operation. • MCDI showed preferential electrosorption of NH 4 + in short adsorption periods. With the depletion of energy, renovation of wastewater has attracted wide attention around the world, among which the recovery of ammonia has also been an ongoing topic. Membrane capacitive deionization (MCDI) has emerged as a promising technology for nutrient removal and recovery. However, limitations of both scale-up and treatment of practical wastewater still restrict its real application. This study aims to investigate the feasibility of ammonia removal from real wastewater by MCDI on a pilot scale. The MCDI module used in this study was expanded to a 2-unit facility (15 pairs of electrodes per unit). Firstly, synthetic wastewater was used as feed water to optimize different kinds of operating parameters, including applied voltage (0–2.5 V), flow rate (7–30 L/h), and initial concentration (20–100 mg/L). Further experiments investigated the competitive adsorption performance under complex inflow conditions. Results indicated that the presence of co-existing cations significantly reduced the removal efficiency and adsorption capacity of ammonia. With the same inflow concentration, the removal efficiency of NH 4 +, Mg2+, and Ca2+ was 39.12 ± 5.31%, 47.56 ± 2.68%, and 33.33 ± 1.90% respectively. The interplay of initial ion concentration, charge valence, and hydrated radii led to the different electro-sorption performances. Subsequently, practical municipal wastewater after the up-concentration of organics was used as feed water to evaluate the feasibility of the pilot-scale MCDI. Under the optimized condition, a long-term experiment was carried out for 15-day to deal with actual wastewater. Besides, ion removal performance, the energy consumption, and desorption efficiency were also analyzed. The system maintains a stable removal efficiency for all cations, with low energy consumption (1.16 kWh/m3) and high desorption efficiency (around 90%). Overall, the results of this study posed the MCDI process as a potential approach to ammonia removal and recovery from municipal wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The performance of the membrane capacitive deionization (MCDI) system was evaluated during the removal of three selected pharmaceuticals, neutral acetaminophen (APAP), cationic atenolol (ATN), and anionic sulfamethoxazole (SMX), in batch experiments (feed solution: 2 mM NaCl and 0.01 mM of each pharmaceutical). Upon charging, the cationic ATN showed the highest removal rate of 97.65 ± 1.71%, followed by anionic SMX (93.22 ± 1.66%) and neutral APAP (68.08 ± 5.24%) due to the difference in electrostatic charge and hydrophobicity. The performance parameters (salt adsorption capacity, specific capacity, and cycling efficiency) and energy factors (specific energy consumption and recoverable energy) were further evaluated over ten consecutive cycles depending on the pharmaceutical addition. A significant decrease in the specific adsorption capacity (from 24.6 to ∼3 mg−NaCl g−1) and specific capacity (from 17.6 to ∼2.5 mAh g−1) were observed mainly due to the shortened charging and discharging time by pharmaceutical adsorption onto the electrode. This shortened charging time also led to an immediate drop in specific energy consumption from 0.41 to 0.04 Wh L−1. Collectively, these findings suggest that MCDI can efficiently remove pharmaceuticals at a low energy demand; however, its performance changes dramatically as the pharmaceuticals are present in the target water. [Display omitted] • The performances of the MCDI system were evaluated during pharmaceutical removal. • Neutral APAP, cationic ATN, and anionic SMX were tested. • Neutral APAP was removed ∼68% while ionic ATN and SMX were removed >93%. • A significant decrease in SAC and SC were observed. • The shorter operation time of the pharmaceutical addition led to lower SEC and E R. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction of new nanomaterials with conductivity, salt adsorption capacity (SAC) and rate (SAR) exceeding that of carbon electrodes may greatly improve capacitive deionization of water. However, those materials show a different electrochemical behavior, which must be studied and optimized for practical use. Here, effects of operating conditions on desalination performance of pre-conditioned Ti 3 C 2 T x -MXene-based electrodes in a symmetric membrane capacitive deionization (MCDI) system were investigated. Specifically, influences of discharge potential, half-cycle length (HCL), and flow rate were systematically studied. Results showed different degrees of performance dependence on operating conditions. For instance, lower discharge potentials increased SAC and SAR by 152%. However, longer HCL increased SAC by 32% while decreasing SAR by 54%. Finally, faster flow rates decreased both SAC and SAR by 20%. Desalination performances of symmetric pre-conditioned MXene and activated carbon cloth (ACC) electrodes were gravimetrically and volumetrically compared in MCDI system. Pre-conditioned MXene electrodes gravimetrically performed 30% lower than ACC due to their notably higher density. Yet, pre-conditioned MXene electrodes volumetrically outperformed ACC by 162%. Results suggest that although MXenes offer high electrochemical activity and hydrophilicity, making them promising candidates for CDI applications, the strong dependence of desalination performance of MXenes on operating conditions requires in-depth understanding and warrants further research. Unlabelled Image • Pre-conditioned MXene outperforms ACC by 162% due to bulk volume ion storage. • Pre-conditioned MXene MCDI system has shown steady SAC for 100 cycles. • Lower discharge potentials enable more effective ion deintercalation. • Improved ion deintercalation leads to up to 152% increase in SAC and SAR. • Longer half-cycle length increases SAC by 32% and decreases SAR by 54%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]