Separation of weak and strong acids by electro-electrodialysis—Experiment and theory

The experimental results of the separation of acetic acid (HA) from the sulfuric acid by the electro-electrodialysis (EED) method and the modeling of process have been presented. The Neosepta membranes CMX and ACM have been used. It has been found that the efficiency of retention of HA is high (>0.9) when the process is conducted below the limiting current density with respect to HSO4− or SO42− anions. The observed current efficiency of the H2SO4 removal was rather low (CES = ca. 0.7, when the initial concentration of H2SO4 in the mixture was 1 or 2 M) which was caused by the nonideal selectivity of the anion-exchange membrane. The experimental results have been described by the model based on the extended Nernst-Planck equation and the Donnan equilibrium. Since the efficiency of the process depended mainly on the selectivity of anion-exchange membrane (ACM), the concentration of fixed charges of that membrane, c¯m, and the ratio of volume fraction of pores to their squared tortuosity, Vp/θ2, have been chosen as the main fitting parameters. It has been found that the fitting of the EED data depends mainly on c¯m, whereas in the modeling of diffusion experiment (or an EED experiment conducted at low current density) both parameters are important. The best fit has been obtained for c¯m=0.5−0.6 M, i.e. ca. one order smaller than that determined experimentally. The obtained optimal value of Vp/θ2, equal to 0.013, is consistent with those previously obtained for other Neosepta anion-exchange membrane.