A membrane filtration cell is provided which includes a fluid passageway and a filtration membrane positioned within the passageway, the filtration membrane dividing the fluid passageway into two chambers, a retentate chamber and a permeate chamber. A first electrode is positioned in the retentate chamber and a second electrode is positioned in the permeate chamber, where the first electrode and the second electrode are configured to apply an electric field across the filtration membrane. The membrane filtration cell also includes an acoustic device configured to apply an acoustic field across the retentate chamber, where the synergistic combination of the electric field and the acoustic field prevents fouling on the filtration membrane. A method of filtering water is provided which includes generating an electric field across a filtration membrane with a first electrode positioned in the retentate chamber and a second electrode positioned in the permeate chamber, and generating an acoustic field across the retentate chamber with an acoustic device, where the synergistic combination of the electric field and the acoustic field prevents fouling on the filtration membrane.

The presently disclosed concepts relate to green battery recycling systems and critical mineral reclamation and refinement. Alkali metal extraction (and in particular lithium extraction) is accomplished using a solid electrolyte membrane in combination with electrodes in a redox configuration. The energy used to initially extract lithium from a feed solution is stored as electrochemical energy, which electrochemical energy is reclaimed in subsequent reclamation processing steps. This reclamation may further allow for lithium to be converted to lithium carbonate or lithium hydroxide, or purified to a minimum purity of 99.9% lithium by mass. These extraction and reclamation steps may performed in continuous ultra-efficient ongoing cycles. Since irrecoverable energy losses incurred in each cycle are limited to negligible amounts of joule heating of the system components and feed solution, the system can be sustainably powered using locally-generated renewable energy, which in turn, provides for a green and sustainable solution for lithium recycling.

Processes, systems, and techniques for multivalent ion desalination of a feed water use an apparatus that has a cathode, an anode, and an electrodialysis cell located between the cathode and anode. The cell has a product chamber through which the feed water flows, a multivalent cation concentrating chamber on a cathodic side of the product chamber through which the concentrated multivalent cation solution flows, and a multivalent anion concentrating chamber on an anodic side of the product chamber through which the concentrated multivalent anion solution flows. The product chamber and the multivalent cation concentrating chamber are each bounded by and share a cation exchange membrane, and the product chamber and the multivalent anion concentrating chamber are each bounded by and share an anion exchange membrane. A monovalent ion species is added to at least one of the concentrated multivalent cation solution and the concentrated multivalent anion solution.

Radioactive nuclides (radionuclides) are separate from an aqueous radioactive liquid by feeding the liquid into a chamber between a porous anode and a porous cathode of a shock electrodialysis device. Meanwhile, an anolyte is fed through the porous anode, and a catholyte is fed through the porous cathode. A voltage is applied to the porous anode and to the porous cathode to create a voltage differential across the chamber. The liquid is passed through the chamber, and cations are selectively driven from the liquid into the cathode by the voltage differential. The voltage differential creates a desalination shock that produces an ion-enriched zone on one side of the desalination shock and a deionized zone on an opposite side. A brine including the radioactive cations is extracted from the ion-enriched zone through a brine outlet, and fresh water is extracted from the deionized zone through a fresh-water outlet.

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.

An electrodialysis unit 8 comprises a plurality of cathodes 68, a plurality of anodes 70 and a plurality of membranes 71; wherein the cathodes 68 and anodes 70 are arranged alternately in an electrode stack, with membranes 71 in between each cathode 68 and anode 70; and wherein the cathode 68 and the anode 70 are each formed of a single conductive plate such that both surfaces of the cathode plates and anode plates enclosed within the electrode stack are, in use, in conductive contact with the water being treated.

A microfiltration device comprises a substrate having a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface. The substrate includes a cavity between the first surface and the second surface. The substrate further includes a microfilter including a frame part in contact with the substrate and a filter part abutting the cavity. The microfilter comprises in both the frame part and the filter part a semiconducting or conducting material.

The present disclosure relates to an electrochemical device for extracting copper from copper-containing wastewater and an extraction method using the same. Cu-based chalcogenide, as an electrode material, forms an electrochemical device with other electrodes. The device is an electrocatalytic coupling deionization system with electrochemical oxidative decomplexing performance, and has a good selective removal effect of Cu.sup.2+ from organic complex copper-containing wastewater, strongly acidic wastewater, and wastewater interfered by high concentration salt ions and heavy metal ions. With this device, the organic complex pollutant Cu-EDTAn can be effectively decomplexed to complete the extraction of Cu.sup.2+.

A metal coated polymer membrane, a method for the production thereof, an electrofiltration device or electrosorption device, and a method of electrofiltration and electrosorption using a metal coated polymer membrane. The polymer membrane is coated with metal using Atomic layer deposition (ALD).

An apparatus, comprising a film (103) comprising a network of conductive and/or semi-conductive high aspect ratio molecular structures is presented. The apparatus also comprises a frame (102) arranged to support the film (103) at least at least two support positions so that a free-standing region (101) of the film (103) extends between the at least two support positions. The two or more electrical contact areas electrically coupled to the film (103), and these electrical contact areas are arranged to pass electric charge across the free-standing region (101) of the film (103) at a current between 0.01 and 10 amperes.