Date of Award
2025-08-01
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy
Department
Civil Engineering
Advisor(s)
Ivonne Santiago
Abstract
Salt-Free Electrodialysis Metathesis (SF-EDM) is an emerging electro-driven membrane technology designed to minimize brine discharge while enabling selective ion separation and resource recovery. This dissertation presents an evaluation of SF-EDM, spanning bench-scale studies with synthetic brine from the Brackish Groundwater National Desalination Research Facility in Alamogordo, NM, real reverse osmosis (RO) brines from the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Desalination Plant in El Paso, TX, and finally a weeklong pilot demonstration at the Yuma Desalting Plant in Yuma, AZ. Bench-scale experiments established process feasibility and performance trends, while pilot results revealed the value of pre-treatment and system configuration. SF-EDM demonstrated high hydraulic recovery (up to 97%) and total system recovery of 99% when combined with upstream RO. Calcium and sulfate were successfully partitioned into two separate concentrate streams, offering downstream valorization opportunities and validating the permselectivity of the monovalent ion exchange membranes. This study further assessed the implications of full-scale integration on water quality and scaling risk using the Yuma Desalting plant as a case study. These findings confirm the potential of SF-EDM as a scalable solution for inland desalination brine management that poses opportunities for resource recovery and supporting the transition to a circular economy.
Language
en
Provenance
Received from ProQuest
Copyright Date
2025-08
File Size
116 p.
File Format
application/pdf
Rights Holder
Tayia Oddonetto
Recommended Citation
Oddonetto, Tayia, "Evaluation of Salt-Free Electrodialysis Metathesis for High Recovery Inland Desalination Brine Management" (2025). Open Access Theses & Dissertations. 4426.
https://scholarworks.utep.edu/open_etd/4426