Fatemeh Abbasi
Duygu Adıgüzel
Osman Nuri Ata
Abstract
In this paper, the feasibility of using a two-compartment bipolar membrane electrodialysis (BMED) process to replace the distillation unit where ammonia is recovered in synthetic soda production was investigated. The effect of two different membrane types on ammonia formation in the bipolar membrane electrodialysis system was analysed. One of the most important environmental problems of the Solvay process, which is one of the synthetic soda production processes, is the liquid and solid wastes generated by the distillation unit. Disposal of distillation waste directly into the environment without any treatment can cause serious ecological problems in the long term. For this paper, the BMED process was used to replace the unit of distillation in the Solvay process to recover ammonia and produce HCl without generating waste. Bipolar membranes (BPM) and anion exchange membranes (AEM) were utilized in this study in which the BMED cell was designed as a two-compartment, three-repeat design. The experiments were carried out by keeping the current/voltage values (14V/4.8 A) constant in the system using direct current (DC). Two different commercial membrane types, FumaTech and PCCell, were used as parameters in the study. The initial feed concentrations were kept constant and the conversion of salt solution to ammonia and HCl acid was monitored. The results showed that HCl and NH4OH concentrations were higher in PCCell membranes. The results showed that acid and base production from ammonium chloride can be realized simultaneously with both membranes and distillation waste can be disposed of.
Keywords
Solvay process, Soda, Bipolar membrane electrodialysis, Bipolar membrane, NH4Cl
