A process to streamline and improve the energy efficiency of the water desalination process has been developed by researchers from South Korea’s Kongju National University and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

While desalination typically requires filtration or evaporation to separate out undesirable components, the scheme detailed in ACS Energy Letters relies on electrodialysis technology. In contrast to available electrodialysis systems, the new system replaces reliance on high-cost and energy intensive anion exchange membranes with a water-soluble redox-copolymer to separate out salts.

When combined with economical nanofiltration membranes, the system maintains continuous desalination of seawater and other water sources without experiencing membrane fouling. The redox copolymer technology also reduces energy consumption by 88% compared with conventional electrodialysis.

The water desalination system performs well under hot climatic conditions, making it a suitable option for deployment in climate-affected regions.