Desalination and disinfection of inland brackish ground water in a capacitive deionization cell using nanoporous activated carbon cloth electrodes

•Inland ground water desalination and disinfection using capacitive deionization (CDI)•Electrical characterization of porous activated carbon cloth (ACC) electrodes for CDI•Study of ACC electrosorption and desorption dynamics in a multi-ionic matrix•A three-fold reduction in the microbial biomass of well water after desalination•Comparison of ion adsorption characteristics of synthetic water with ground water

Desalination of brackish water using capacitive deionization (CDI) poses unique challenges attributed to the microbial, organic and other contaminants in water. By using chemically inert and high surface area activated carbon cloth electrodes, the desalination of water from wells in Oman's Al Musanaah wilayat is demonstrated. The ion adsorption characteristics for well water are compared to that of synthetic water (sodium chloride) and their dependence on the charge, size and concentration is investigated. Disinfection properties of the CDI unit were also demonstrated with a 3-fold decrease in viable bacterial cells upon desalination of well water. The power consumption for well water desalination was lower than that of synthetic water with similar salt concentrations and was calculated to be 0.78 kWh/m3. The stated desalting capabilities and small footprint make CDI a viable option for remote ground water desalination.

Graphical abstractFigure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide