Electrochemical water deionization separators

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2023068559-A1
Application number	US-202117462553-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 31, 2021
Priority date	Aug 31, 2021
Publication date	Mar 2, 2023
Grant date	—

Abstract

A separator for an electrochemical deionization cell for removing ions from a solution stream. The separator includes an anion exchange membrane layer formed from an anion exchange membrane material. The anion exchange membrane layer has a first surface and an opposing second surface. The separator further includes a porous layer adjacent to the anion exchange membrane layer and formed from a porous material. The porous layer has a first surface and an opposing second surface. The first surface of the porous layer is adjacent to the first surface of the anion exchange membrane layer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A separator for an electrochemical deionization cell for removing ions from a solution stream, the separator comprising:
an anion exchange membrane layer formed from an anion exchange membrane material, the anion exchange membrane layer having a first surface and an opposing second surface; and a porous layer adjacent to the anion exchange membrane layer and formed from a porous material, the porous layer having a first surface and an opposing second surface, and the first surface of the porous layer being adjacent to the first surface of the anion exchange membrane layer.

2 . The separator of claim 1 , wherein the anion exchange membrane material is the same as the porous material.

3 . The separator of claim 2 , wherein the porous material includes pores previously occupied by a pore former material.

4 . The separator of claim 3 , wherein the pore former material is one or more alkali salts, one or more sublimation materials, or a combination thereof.

5 . The separator of claim 1 , wherein the anion exchange membrane material is different than the porous material.

6 . The separator of claim 1 , further comprising a second porous layer adjacent to the anion exchange membrane layer and formed from a second porous material, the second porous layer having a first surface and an opposing second surface, and the first surface of the second porous layer being adjacent to the second surface of the anion exchange membrane layer.

7 . The separator of claim 1 , further comprising a second anion exchange membrane layer formed from a second anion exchange membrane material, the second anion exchange membrane layer having a first surface and an opposing second surface, and the second surface of the second anion exchange membrane layer being adjacent to the second surface of the porous layer.

8 . The separator of claim 1 , wherein the anion exchange membrane layer has an anion exchange membrane layer thickness, the porous layer has a porous layer thickness, and the anion exchange membrane layer thickness is less than the porous layer thickness.

9 . The separator of claim 8 , wherein the porous layer is configured to be at least partially filled with an ionic liquid.

10 . An electrochemical deionization cell for removing ions from a solution stream, the cell comprising:
a separator including an anion exchange membrane layer formed from an anion exchange membrane material and a porous layer adjacent to the anion exchange membrane and formed from a porous material, the anion exchange membrane layer having a first surface and an opposing second surface, the porous layer having a first surface and an opposing second surface, and the first surface of the porous layer being adjacent to the first surface of the anion exchange membrane layer.

11 . The electrochemical deionization cell of claim 10 , wherein the anion exchange membrane layer contacts the porous layer.

12 . The electrochemical deionization cell of claim 10 , wherein the anion exchange membrane layer has an anion exchange membrane layer thickness of 1 to 150 μm.

13 . The electrochemical deionization cell of claim 10 , wherein the anion exchange membrane layer has an anion exchange membrane layer porosity of less than or equal to 0.1%.

14 . The electrochemical deionization cell of claim 10 , wherein the porous material has a porous material porosity of 10 to 90%.

15 . The electrochemical deionization cell of claim 10 , wherein the porous material is one or more polyolefins, glass fiber, porous alumina, porous silica, carbon fiber mesh, perfluoroalkoxy alkane (PFA) polymer, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), or a combination thereof.

16 . The electrochemical deionization cell of claim 10 , wherein the anion exchange membrane material is different than the porous material.

17 . An electrochemical deionization system for removing ions from a solution stream, the system comprising:
a cation leakage management computer including non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions for cation leakage management of the electrochemical deionization system that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the following operations:
receiving data indicative of an actual salt concentration of an effluent of the solution stream from a cell of the electrochemical deionization system, a cell stack of the electrochemical deionization system, or the entire electrochemical deionization system;
determining a theoretical salt concentration of the effluent; and
comparing the actual salt concentration of the effluent to the theoretical salt concentration of the effluent to determine a cation leakage condition.

18 . The electrochemical deionization system of claim 17 , wherein the processor further performs the operation of transmitting an alert in response to the cation leakage condition.

19 . The electrochemical deionization system of claim 17 , wherein the cation leakage condition is the actual salt concentration being less than the theoretical salt concentration in a waste stream and/or the actual salt concentration being greater than the theoretical salt concentration in a purified stream.

20 . The electrochemical deionization system of claim 17 , wherein the processor further performs the operation of transmitting instructions to purge the cell of the electrochemical deionization system, the cell stack of the electrochemical deionization system, or the entire electrochemical deionization system in response to the cation leakage condition.

Assignees

• Bosch Gmbh Robert

Inventors

• Christensen Jake
• Besli Münir M
• Kuppan Saravanan
• Hellstrom Sondra

Classifications

• C08J5/2206

  based on organic and/or inorganic macromolecular compounds · CPC title

• C08J5/22

  Films, membranes or diaphragms · CPC title

• B01D2325/42

  Ion-exchange membranes · CPC title

• B01D2323/226

  Use of ionic liquids · CPC title

• B01D2311/246

  Concentration control · CPC title