Advancing sustainability in the water-energy nexusoptimization of reverse electrodialysis energy recovery from salinity gradients

Abstract

Salinity gradient energy (SGE) is a vast yet largely untapped renewable source for complementing and diversifying the current carbon- and water-intensive energy mix and supporting the sustainability and circularity of the energy-intensive water sector. This doctoral thesis proposes a methodological framework for advancing the cost-optimal and environmentally sustainable design of reverse electrodialysis (RED) process for SGE recovery from waste streams in the water sector. This framework combines an experimentally validated mathematical model of the RED device, an environmental characterization through life cycle assessment, and a generalized disjunctive programming model to optimize large-scale RED systems deployed in desalination plants or wastewater treatment plants. The proposed design tool may be of interest in the decision-making process that supports the promotion and commercial deployment of RED technology.