Process integration of electrodialysis for a cleaner environment

•Recent development of ED and ion exchange membrane processes are reviewed.•Process integration of ED is crucial in expanding applications.•Emerging applications of ED are in wastewater treatment and renewable energy.•Demand of integrated ED processes is growing steadily due to eco-friendliness.

Electrodialysis (ED) has been used for concentration and dilution of salts in aqueous phases. Applications of ED processes are expanded to high purity water production, wastewater treatment, production of acid and base by water splitting, and conversion of chemical energy into electricity through various process integration. The process integration includes ion exchange, electro-adsorption, electrolysis, and microbial fuel cell to enhance the performance of ion removal from process streams or wastewater. In this article, recent development of ED and ion exchange membrane processes integrated with electrochemical and biological devices, that is, water splitting electrodialysis (WSED), continuous electrodeionization (CEDI), membrane capacitive deionization (MCDI), reverse electrodialysis (RED), microbial desalination cell (MDC), and their applications are reviewed. Such processes draw attention increasingly due to growing demand for cleaner energy and environment.