Characterization of cation-exchange membrane fouling during bipolar membrane electrodialysis of monosodium glutamate isoelectric supernatant

BACKGROUND: A novel procedure that involved regeneration and recycling of ammonia and sulfuric acid from monosodium glutamate isoelectric supernatant with bipolar membrane electrodialysis (BMED) was proposed. As the performance of the membranes deteriorated during the batch runs, fouling of the cation-exchange membrane (CEM) in contact with the base cell was studied.