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Development of an electrodeionization and electrodialysis process for the removal of nitrate from drinking water

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Abstract

Nitrate pollution of water sources has been increasing due to the expansion of agriculture and human activities. The use of electrodialysis (ED) technologies has expanded significantly in recent years. In this study, an ED system with current circulation was built, and it was converted to electrodeionization (EDI) by adding resin to its dilute chambers. The EDI and ED systems by examining different operating parameters such as initial concentration, voltage, and flow rate, and their effects on the removal rate were compared. Flow rates of 10, 20, and 30 ml/min, voltages of 5, 10, and 15 V, and various nitrate concentrations (75, 100, 150, and 200 ppm) to assess the nitrate removal percentage were considered. The results showed that the average nitrate removal in the EDI process was significantly higher than in the ED process (P < 0.001) at all voltage, flow rate, and concentration levels. In the denitrification process by EDI, the osmotic property did not affect the membrane ion exchange process. The research results showed that the EDI process has better functionality to reduce nitrate concentration in water. The results also revealed that osmotic properties do not affect the membrane ion exchange process in the nitrate removal process by continuous electrodeionization. Additionally, the amount of nitrate removal increased with increasing voltage, while increasing the flow rate through the electro-ionization system decreased the amount of nitrate removal, thereby increasing the remaining nitrate. Furthermore, the highest rate of nitrate removal of 99.7% in the continuous electrodeionization system was achieved at the minimum initial concentration, minimum flow rate, and maximum voltage. As a fundamental technology for in situ remediation for groundwater contamination, the EDI process proved feasible and provided a foundation for further research.

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Data availability statement

All data analyzed in this study are included in this published article and supporting information.

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Funding

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Environmental Engineering Division, Department of Natural Resources and Environment, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

    M. Jafari Araslou, R. Haji Seyed Mohammad Shirazi & S. M. Khezri

  2. Energy Conversion Group, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran

    A. Jafarian

Authors
  1. M. Jafari Araslou
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  2. A. Jafarian
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  3. R. Haji Seyed Mohammad Shirazi
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  4. S. M. Khezri
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Contributions

Conceptualization was done by R.H.S.M.SH, A.J., and S.M.KH; data curation was done by M.J.A. and R.H.S.M.SH; writing—original draft was done by M.J.A.; writing—review and editing was done by A.J., R.H.S.M.SH, and S.M.KH. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to R. Haji Seyed Mohammad Shirazi.

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Editorial responsibility: S. Mirkia.

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Jafari Araslou, M., Jafarian, A., Haji Seyed Mohammad Shirazi, R. et al. Development of an electrodeionization and electrodialysis process for the removal of nitrate from drinking water. Int. J. Environ. Sci. Technol. 21, 2639–2654 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-023-05383-w

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-023-05383-w

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