Ion exchange membranes in reverse electrodialysis process

Abstract

Global energy consumption and demand are increasing day by day. As we are all globally connected and evolving as a digitally civilized generation, the need for energy has to be addressed. This high energy demand is thus far being fulfill up to 80% by fossil fuel resources, which is a non-renewable source. The remaining 20% is provided by nuclear power, hydrothermal energy, and geothermal, solar, and wind energy. However, these renewable resources are practically not easy to manage. Recent studies have thus been focused on reverse electrodialysis (RED) technology, which can efficiently store sustainable energy using salinity gradients of water. This manuscript reviews the role of ion-exchange membranes in RED. Initially, the broad classification of ion-exchange membranes has been presented. Later, the chapter focuses on polymeric and nanomaterials employed in designing the profiled membranes with the mechanism of ion transport. Furthermore, challenges such as permselectivity and concentration polarization on the membrane are addressed. However, fundamental knowledge of the complex phenomena has to be adopted in the upcoming research for designing potential ion-exchange membranes in the RED applications. © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.