Design and Demonstration of Concentration Cells for Small Scale Energy Harvesting based on Reverse Electrodialysis

Experimental results are presented to demonstrate feasibility of small scale power generation using static reverse electrodialysis (RED) of CuSO4 solutions. In contrast to conventional macro scale reverse electrodialysis, the concentrated and diluate compartments were not refreshed, resulting in limited power delivery times. This is important in energy harvesting applications from limited supply of ionic concentrations. Maximum output power density of 0.17 μW·cm−2 was recorded using microfiltration membranes. The evolution of the open circuit output voltage with time is accurately modeled at various concentration ratios.