“Redox-mediated Electrochemical Separations for Brackish Water Desalination”
Paul Akinyemi
Brackish water desalination is a compelling strategy for mitigating water scarcity by exploiting largely untapped water sources that are typically available in the form of groundwater. Electrochemical separations provide an energy-efficient alternative to conventional desalination technologies for low-concentration feeds at high water recovery ratios due to intrinsic energy benefits. Their tailorable selectivity and versatile operating methods are suitable for mitigating potential problems associated with the challenging water matrix of brackish groundwater in a practical setting such as high hardness and alkalinity levels. One strategy involves utilizing redox reactions to facilitate salt separation through ion exchange membranes, which has been demonstrated to improve energy efficiency compared to electrodialysis and enhance water productivity relative to electrosorption. To harness the potential of redox-mediated separations for brackish water desalination, previous studies have explored a variety of redox reactions. However, the role of electrodes, electrolytes, and membranes on the desalination performance has been underexplored, although all of which not only provide critical functionalities for separations but also are affected by (influential to) the feed water composition under groundwater-relevant conditions. The overarching goal of this work is to provide fundamental insights into the interplay at the electrode-electrolyte-membrane interfaces for the development of a viable redox-mediated desalination system under relevant conditions to tap brackish groundwater. To achieve this goal, three objectives here are: (1) To determine the role of interfacial properties of electrodes in providing the driving force to separate salt through ion exchange membranes; (2) To understand how transport of cations influences the redox reaction and membrane stability; and (3) To determine the effect of the structure of redox couples on crossovers in relation to desalination. These studies contribute to the development of an energy-efficient and environmentally benign method to achieve practical brackish water desalination.
Wednesday, 04/02/2025 at 2:30 pm
CAMP 194
https://clarkson.zoom.us/j/95529580049
Bio
Paul Akinyemi is a Ph.D. candidate in Chemical Engineering at Clarkson University, conducting research in the Green Electrochemical Research Lab under the supervision of Dr. Taeyoung Kim. He earned his BS degree in Chemical Engineering from Obafemi Awolowo University in 2020 and later completed his MS degree in the same discipline at Clarkson University in 2023. Paul’s broad expertise is in the intersection of Renewable Water-Energy Electrochemical Systems. He leverages his expertise in electrochemical desalination technologies to address environmental and sustainability challenges in water-energy systems. His research has appeared in prestigious platforms such as the American Chemical Society’s Applied Materials and Interfaces journal, Environmental Science and Technology Letters, the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors’ conference, the New York State Center of Excellence in Healthy Water Solutions conferences, and other relevant technical meetings. Paul was also awarded the Best Presentation at the Summer 2021 Annual Research and Project Showcase by the Clarkson University Chapter of the Electrochemical Society.