skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Performance metrics for the objective assessment of capacitive deionization systems

Journal Article · · Water Research
ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ; ; ; ORCiD logo; ;

In the growing field of capacitive deionization (CDI), a number of performance metrics have emerged to describe the desalination process. Unfortunately, the separation conditions under which these metrics are measured are often not specified, resulting in optimal performance at minimal removal. Here in this paper we outline a system of performance metrics and reporting conditions that resolves this issue. Our proposed system is based on volumetric energy consumption (Wh/m3) and throughput productivity (L/h/m2) reported for a specific average concentration reduction, water recovery, and feed salinity. To facilitate and rationalize comparisons between devices, materials, and operation modes, we propose a nominal standard separation of removing 5 mM from a 20 mM NaCl feed solution at 50% water recovery. We propose this particular separation as a standard, but emphasize that the rationale presented here applies irrespective of separation details. Using our proposed separation, we compare the desalination performance of a flow-through electrode (fte-CDI) cell and a flow between membrane (fb-MCDI) device, showing how significantly different systems can be compared in terms of generally desirable desalination characteristics. In general, we find that performance analysis must be considered carefully so to not allow for ambiguous separation conditions or the maximization of one metric at the expense of another. Additionally, for context and clarity, we discuss a number of important underlying performance indicators and cell characteristics that are not performance measures in and of themselves but can be examined to better understand differences in performance.

Research Organization:
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC52-07NA27344; 18-ERD-024
OSTI ID:
1531179
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1513122
Report Number(s):
LLNL-JRNL-749416; S0043135418308911; PII: S0043135418308911
Journal Information:
Water Research, Journal Name: Water Research Vol. 152 Journal Issue: C; ISSN 0043-1354
Publisher:
ElsevierCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United Kingdom
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 147 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

Cited By (7)

Faradaic reactions in capacitive deionization for desalination and ion separation journal January 2019
Rapid Inversion of Surface Charges in Heteroatom‐Doped Porous Carbon: A Route to Robust Electrochemical Desalination journal December 2019
The feasibility of hollow echinus-like NiCo 2 O 4 nanocrystals for hybrid capacitive deionization journal January 2020
Asymmetric configuration of pseudocapacitive composite and rGO electrodes for enhanced capacitive deionization journal January 2020
Emerging investigator series: capacitive deionization for selective removal of nitrate and perchlorate: impacts of ion selectivity and operating constraints on treatment costs journal January 2020
Capacitive deionization and electrosorption: from desalination to ion management journal January 2020
Assembly of Soft Electrodes and Ion Exchange Membranes for Capacitive Deionization journal September 2019

Figures / Tables (21)

Figure 1(p. 6)figure Figure 1
Figure 2(p. 8)figure Figure 2
Figure 3(p. 10)figure Figure 3
Figure 4(p. 11)figure Figure 4
Figure 5(p. 13)figure Figure 5
Table 1(p. 23)table Table 1
Table S1(p. 32)table Table S1
Figure S1(p. 33)figure Figure S1
Table S1 (continued)(p. 33)table Table S1 (continued)
Figure S2(p. 34)figure Figure S2
Figure S3(p. 35)figure Figure S3
Figure S4(p. 37)figure Figure S4
Figure S5(p. 38)figure Figure S5
Figure S6(p. 39)figure Figure S6
Figure S7(p. 39)figure Figure S7
Figure S8(p. 40)figure Figure S8
Figure S9(p. 42)figure Figure S9
Figure S10(p. 44)figure Figure S10
Figure S11(p. 45)figure Figure S11
Table S2(p. 47)table Table S2
Table S3(p. 48)table Table S3

Similar Records

Seawater desalination by over-potential membrane capacitive deionization: Opportunities and hurdles
Journal Article · Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 EDT 2018 · Chemical Engineering Journal · OSTI ID:1531179
+4 more
Understanding resistances in capacitive deionization devices
Journal Article · Thu May 14 00:00:00 EDT 2020 · Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology · OSTI ID:1531179
+5 more
Energy recovery in capacitive deionization systems with inverted operation characteristics
Journal Article · Mon Oct 28 00:00:00 EDT 2019 · Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology · OSTI ID:1531179
+4 more

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
Capacitive desalination
Capacitive deionization
CDI
Performance