Low-resistance anti-fouling ion exchange membranes fouled by organic foulants in electrodialysis

Abstract We present an original research on the anion exchange membranes (AEMs) (TWEDAI, TWEDAII, FAS, 3362BW) and the cation exchange membranes (CEMs) (TWEDCI, TWEDCII, FKS, 3361BW) fouled by four typical organic foulants (SDBS, BSA, sodium humate, SA) through electrostatic interaction, affinity interaction and geometric interaction. After fouled by different organic foulants, the unique TWEDAI membrane kept a relatively lower resistance than those of the other ion exchange membranes. It was worth noting that the negligible change of its membrane resistance was mainly attributed to its small original resistance and the structure stability, indicating its excellent anti-fouling characteristic. This new type of low-resistance anti-fouling ion exchange membranes opens an exciting potential for water treatment and separation engineering.