Paired electrolysis for simultaneous electrochemical water softening and production of weak acid solutions

In this work, a new paired electrolysis procedure is successfully introduced. This is a combination of two different processes: electrochemical water softening (EWS) and electrochemical production of weak acid solutions (EPWA). This paired electrolysis method is tested for hardness removal in a simu...

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Main Authors: Ignacio Sanjuán, Vicente García-García, Eduardo Expósito, Vicente Montiel
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2019-04-01
Series:Electrochemistry Communications
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1388248119300608
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spelling doaj-2de8656679ad40529e756d65e29b73e42020-11-24T20:58:39ZengElsevierElectrochemistry Communications1388-24812019-04-011018892Paired electrolysis for simultaneous electrochemical water softening and production of weak acid solutionsIgnacio Sanjuán0Vicente García-García1Eduardo Expósito2Vicente Montiel3Grupo de Electroquímica Aplicada, Instituto Universitario de Electroquímica, Departamento de Química Física, Universidad de Alicante, Apdo. 99, Alicante 03080, SpainGrupo de Electroquímica Aplicada, Instituto Universitario de Electroquímica, Departamento de Química Física, Universidad de Alicante, Apdo. 99, Alicante 03080, SpainGrupo de Electroquímica Aplicada, Instituto Universitario de Electroquímica, Departamento de Química Física, Universidad de Alicante, Apdo. 99, Alicante 03080, SpainCorresponding author.; Grupo de Electroquímica Aplicada, Instituto Universitario de Electroquímica, Departamento de Química Física, Universidad de Alicante, Apdo. 99, Alicante 03080, SpainIn this work, a new paired electrolysis procedure is successfully introduced. This is a combination of two different processes: electrochemical water softening (EWS) and electrochemical production of weak acid solutions (EPWA). This paired electrolysis method is tested for hardness removal in a simulated solution of concentrates, such as that produced by the electrodialysis of brackish water. The use of a divided electrochemical cell makes it possible to achieve removal efficiencies higher than 90% in optimum conditions. The good performance and stability of the cathode are also demonstrated by long-term experiments. Simultaneously, weak acids are obtained by protonation of their conjugate bases in the anodic compartment. Lactic acid is obtained from lactate with a purity of no less than 80% in this work without significant loss of efficiency in hardness removal. The main interest lies in the commercial value of weak acids such as lactic acid, citric acid or gluconic acid, among others. The methodology makes it possible to benefit from both cathodic and anodic processes, which may contribute to decreasing the final EWS treatment costs for a cost-effective desalination application. Keywords: Electrochemical softening, Weak acid, Lactic, Paired electrolysis, Concentratehttp://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1388248119300608
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Ignacio Sanjuán
Vicente García-García
Eduardo Expósito
Vicente Montiel
spellingShingle Ignacio Sanjuán
Vicente García-García
Eduardo Expósito
Vicente Montiel
Paired electrolysis for simultaneous electrochemical water softening and production of weak acid solutions
Electrochemistry Communications
author_facet Ignacio Sanjuán
Vicente García-García
Eduardo Expósito
Vicente Montiel
author_sort Ignacio Sanjuán
title Paired electrolysis for simultaneous electrochemical water softening and production of weak acid solutions
title_short Paired electrolysis for simultaneous electrochemical water softening and production of weak acid solutions
title_full Paired electrolysis for simultaneous electrochemical water softening and production of weak acid solutions
title_fullStr Paired electrolysis for simultaneous electrochemical water softening and production of weak acid solutions
title_full_unstemmed Paired electrolysis for simultaneous electrochemical water softening and production of weak acid solutions
title_sort paired electrolysis for simultaneous electrochemical water softening and production of weak acid solutions
publisher Elsevier
series Electrochemistry Communications
issn 1388-2481
publishDate 2019-04-01
description In this work, a new paired electrolysis procedure is successfully introduced. This is a combination of two different processes: electrochemical water softening (EWS) and electrochemical production of weak acid solutions (EPWA). This paired electrolysis method is tested for hardness removal in a simulated solution of concentrates, such as that produced by the electrodialysis of brackish water. The use of a divided electrochemical cell makes it possible to achieve removal efficiencies higher than 90% in optimum conditions. The good performance and stability of the cathode are also demonstrated by long-term experiments. Simultaneously, weak acids are obtained by protonation of their conjugate bases in the anodic compartment. Lactic acid is obtained from lactate with a purity of no less than 80% in this work without significant loss of efficiency in hardness removal. The main interest lies in the commercial value of weak acids such as lactic acid, citric acid or gluconic acid, among others. The methodology makes it possible to benefit from both cathodic and anodic processes, which may contribute to decreasing the final EWS treatment costs for a cost-effective desalination application. Keywords: Electrochemical softening, Weak acid, Lactic, Paired electrolysis, Concentrate
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1388248119300608
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AT eduardoexposito pairedelectrolysisforsimultaneouselectrochemicalwatersofteningandproductionofweakacidsolutions
AT vicentemontiel pairedelectrolysisforsimultaneouselectrochemicalwatersofteningandproductionofweakacidsolutions
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