High Performance and Large-Scale Electrodes for Selective Ion Recovery

The growing global concern surrounding water scarcity spurs societal impact by ensuring accessible and affordable freshwater resources. Furthermore, the increasing demand for high-value, non-renewable resources like phosphate and lithium, often found in waster or process water streams, coupled with their dwindling availability, requires robust strategies to establish secure supply chains.Electrochemical deionization (ECD) stands out as a promising solution due to its ability to fine-tune selectivity for specific ions. Over the past two decades, ECD has made remarkable progress, driven by factors like membrane use, surface functionalization, innovative cell designs, diverse electrochemical modes, and a deeper grasp of theory and application. Novel electrode materials, particularly intercalation materials, as developed and studied in the ERC Consolidator project E-Motion, have enhanced ion-selectivity in ECD.In PassIon the up-scaling and electrode stability that follow from our scientific results obtained so far – and our filed patent – will be validated. This will not only boost the desalination performance of ECD processes at larger scale, but also enable employment of such processes for resource recovery in an effective and sustainable way. Two work packages have been defined, one on the technical aspects and one on commercial activities. The team will regularly meet with the strategic advisory board to be installed and engage with potential end-users and sponsors, mainly via the vast networks of Wetsus and our industrial mentor.A risk analysis has been made and risk-mitigation measures are in place to boost the breakthrough innovation of combing desalination with salt recovery. PassIon is set to achieve Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) 4 to 5 through validation, culminating in the delivery of a market consultation report and initial commercialization plans. These critical steps are essential in laying the groundwork for the development of a demonstrator.