Electrodialysis is a membrane based process using an electrical field as the driving force to separate charged and non-charged molecules.
Due to the electrical field, dissociated salt components in water solution will move towards the counter-charged electrode through selective charged membranes. Cations move towards the cathode and pass through the cation exchange membranes to be retained by the following anion exchange membranes. Anions are drawn to the anode and pass through the anion exchange membrane to be retained by the cation exchange membranes.
Using the right combination of anion exchange and cation exchange membranes, we can separate the ions in the inlet solution and create a desalted flow called diluate, and a concentrated flow called concentrate.
Thanks to our strategic partnership with MEGA, a top-tier leader in industrial electrodialysis, Novasep can provide you with the most adapted technological combinations. RALEX® membranes and systems currently have the highest performance on the market and can be applied in a variety of processes from the purification of organic solutions to whey demineralization.
This process allows a fine monitoring of the demineralization rate to be applied depending on the product and customer specification. For example, in the dairy industry, we can achieve a demineralization from D50 to D90 with a chemicals consumption limited to membrane cleaning.
RALEX® electrodialysis membranes are ion-exchange heterogeneous membranes, efficient for all kind of applications including:
- Whey demineralization
- Fermentation broths treatment
- Organic acids recovery
- Salts purification and concentration
- And much more
They enable a high recovery yield of the product and, since the working cycle time of the unit is up to 20 hours per day, the process productivity is also high. Moreover, one of the main benefits of the RALEX® ED heterogeneous membranes is their exceptional lifetime, with a 4-year lifetime guarantee, which is unique on the market and provides the lowest operating costs.
