Energy extraction and water treatment in one system: The idea of using a desalination battery in a cooling tower

Abstract The use of sodium manganese oxide as an intercalation electrode for water treatment was recently explored, and referred to as a “desalination battery” and “hybrid capacitive deionization”. Here, we examine the feasibility of using such a desalination battery, comprising crystalline Na 4 Mn 9 O 18 as the cathode and Ag/AgCl/Cl − electrode as the anode, to extract energy from low-grade waste heat sources. Sodium manganese oxide electrode's material was produced via a solid-state synthesis. Electrodes were produced by spray-coated onto graphite foils, and showed a temperature dependence of the electrode potential, namely, ∂ E / ∂ T , of −0.63 mV/K (whereas, the Ag/AgCl/Cl − mesh electrode showed much lower temperature dependence,