Abstract
The emerging water treatment technology, membrane capacitive deionization (MCDI), utilizes ion exchange membranes (IEM) and porous electrodes to adsorb ions from low-concentration brines or inorganic wastewater. Numerous studies about salt adsorption capacity (SAC) of MCDI have been conducted as it indicates the performance of desalination system. Former studies have shown that how various factors influence on the ion removal efficiency of MCDI, such as operating conditions (e.g., ion voltage, flow rate) and water quality parameters (e.g., natural organic matters, heavy metals). In recent years, micro-sized plastic particles (<5mm) and nano-sized plastic particles (1-1000nm) have become a serious problem that threatens water resources as plastic product consumption has increased. Especially, nano-sized plastics, due to their extremely small size, not only contaminates water resources but also can impair the water treatment system. Nano-sized plastics are expected to pass through the pores (100-200nm) of ion exchange membranes (IEMs) in MCDI, given their smaller size compared to the pores of IMEs. Consequently, the porous electrodes could be clogged, leading to a reduction in specific surface area. The reduction may occur due to the potential impact of nano-sized plastics on the pores (>50nm) of the electrodes, resulting in a decrease of the SAC of MCDI. This study investigated the effect of nano-sized plastic on the porous electrodes and the performance of MCDI. The potential impact of newly exposed nano-sized plastics on water electrochemical water treatment system will be introduced.
Published Version
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