Experimental investigation on possibility of electro-osmotic regeneration for solid desiccant

This paper aims to investigate the possibility and performance of a novel electro-osmotic regeneration method for the solid desiccant system, which could adsorb water from the moist air and be regenerated by the electro-osmotic force at the same time, by detailed experimental validation. The zeolite powder with both electro-osmotic and adsorptive characteristics was selected to make the solid desiccant. The quantity of the removed water was measured in the condition with and without an applied electric field to validate the possibility of the electro-osmotic regeneration. The test data show that there was an obvious electro-osmotic regeneration effect in the experiments. The whole electro-osmosis process was divided into three phases because of the Joule heating effect and electrode corrosion, which limited the performance of the experimental system. In particular, a filter cloth under the cathode made a superior electro-osmotic regeneration effect than without the cloth. The experimental results illustrate that the system has the potential of energy-saving and low regeneration temperature. So the electro-osmotic regeneration method is a potential regeneration method for the solid desiccant system.