Out-of-plane ion concentration polarization for scalable water desalination

Lab Chip. 2014 Feb 21;14(4):681-5. doi: 10.1039/c3lc51255j.

Abstract

We present a scalable, out-of-plane desalination approach using ion concentration polarization. A depletion boundary separates salt ions and purified water into distinct vertical layers. The out-of-plane design enables multiplexing in three dimensions, providing the functional density required for practical application. For membrane widths of 125-200 μm, and applied voltage of 5 V, the energy requirement is 4.6 Wh L(-1) for 20 mM solution, and 13.8 Wh L(-1) for 200 mM. Energy efficiency is found to be insensitive to flow rate as the depletion boundary adjusts to yield a commensurate volume of purified water. Scaled-up devices are presented, which have a 3-fold improvement in functional density over planar systems.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Equipment Design
  • Hydrodynamics
  • Membranes, Artificial
  • Salts / isolation & purification*
  • Water Purification / instrumentation*

Substances

  • Membranes, Artificial
  • Salts