Capacitive deionization of seawater

摘要

Capacitive deionization with carbon aerogel electrodes is an efficient and economical new process for removing salt and impurities from water. The electrodes are maintained at a potential difference of about one volt; ions are removed from the water by the imposed electrostatic field and retained on the electrode surface until the polarity is reversed. The overall process offers advantages when compared to conventional water-purification methods, requiring neither pumps, membranes, distillation columns, nor thermal heaters. Consequently, the overall process is both robust and energy efficient. The current state of technology development, commercialization, and potential applications of this process are reviewed.