The present invention is directed to an electrochemical device for at least partially removing or reducing a target ionic species from an aqueous solution using faradic immobilization, the electrochemical device including at least one first electrode and at least one second electrode with different void fraction and surface area properties, due to differences in void fraction (also referred to as void ratio) of the at least one first and the at least one second electrode, water flows through an electrode with a high porosity, while the aqueous solution does not flow through an electrode with a low porosity. The asymmetry of the electrodes provides a desired voltage distribution across the device, which equates to a different voltage at each electrode, to control the speciation of the target ionic species at the anode and the cathode.

An ion-exchange apparatus has a raw-water tank 1, a treatment tank 2, an ion exchanger 3 and a voltage applying device E. The raw-water tank 1 contains a to be treated liquid that has impurity ions. The treatment tank 2 contains a treatment material with exchange ions exchangeable with the impurity ions. The ion exchanger 3 enables the passage of the impurity ions from the raw-water tank 1 to the treatment tank 2 and the passage of the exchange ions from the treatment tank 2 to the raw-water tank 1. The voltage-applying device E applies a voltage to the ion exchanger 3.

In an aspect, a hydrogen separation unit includes an electrochemical cell stack that includes a separator stack located in between an anode side and a cathode side; a mixed gas conduit for receiving a mixed gas stream to the anode side; an anode removal conduit for removing a helium rich stream from the anode side; and a cathode removal conduit for removing a hydrogen rich stream from the cathode side. The separation stack includes a plurality of electrochemical cells, each of which includes a proton exchange membrane located in between an anode and a cathode. The proton exchange membrane can include a cation. The separation stack can be a cascading separation stack.

The invention relates to a device for removing a gas from an aqueous liquid, particularly a blood liquid, comprising a first compartment permeated by the aqueous liquid during operation of the device; a second compartment permeated by a purging gas during operation of the device, the first compartment and the second compartment being separated from each other by a semipermeable membrane; and a third compartment permeated by a liquid proton donor during operation of device, said proton donor being an organic or inorganic acid, the first compartment and the third compartment being separated from each other by a membrane permeable to ions, and the membrane permeable to ions comprising at least one cation conductor.

Various examples related to resin wafer technologies including ionomers and resin wafers with solution processable ionomers and their production are provided. In one example, a wafer includes an ion conducting layer having ion-exchange resin particles and an ionomer binder coating the ion-exchange resin particles. The ionomer binder can bind the ion-exchange resin particles together in the ion conducting layer. In another example, the wafer can contain water dissociation catalysts for promoting water-splitting in the wafers.

Charge mosaic membranes useful for desalination applications, and methods of making and using the same, are described.

Provided is a porous anion exchange membrane including a porous polymer support; and an anion-permselective material supported in the porous polymer support, in which the porous anion exchange membrane has a micro-nano composite pore structure including microscale pores and nanoscale pores.

An ion separator according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a first electrode buffer channel and a second electrode buffer channel; a main channel that connects between the first electrode buffer channel and the second buffer channel; a first ion exchange membrane positioned between the first electrode buffer channel and the main channel; a porous second ion exchange membrane that is provide across the main channel and contains pores of different sizes; a first electrode electrically connected to the main channel with the first electrode buffer channel in between; and a second electrode electrically connected to the main channel with the second electrode buffer channel in between, wherein the second ion exchange membrane may be inserted into the main channel while being inclined toward a fluid flowing through the main channel.

Disclosed herein is an ion selective separation membrane including: a metal organic framework layer formed on, in, and/or around a substrate, the metal organic framework having a crystal structure that includes a first surface and a second surface and includes ion transport channels formed between respective pore windows in the first surface and the second surface; first and second electrodes to apply a potential difference across the membrane; wherein the respective pore windows have a pore size that is less than the hydrated diameter of the ion for which the ion selective separation membrane is selective.

In this disclosure, a process of recycling acid, base and the salt reagents required in the Li recovery process is introduced. A membrane electrolysis cell which incorporates an oxygen depolarized cathode is implemented to generate the required chemicals onsite. The system can utilize a portion of the salar brine or other lithium-containing brine or solid waste to generate hydrochloric or sulfuric acid, sodium hydroxide and carbonate salts. Simultaneous generation of acid and base allows for taking advantage of both chemicals during the conventional Li recovery from brines and mineral rocks. The desalinated water can also be used for the washing steps on the recovery process or returned into the evaporation ponds. The method also can be used for the direct conversion of lithium salts to the high value LiOH product. The method does not produce any solid effluent which makes it easy-to-adopt for use in existing industrial Li recovery plants.