Research and development needs for the electrochemical industry

Technical Report · Wed May 01 04:00:00 EDT 1996

OSTI ID:447510

Orazem, M E ^[1]

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1. Univ. of Florida, Gainesville, FL (United States)

Much of the discussion centered on the plating and metals finishing industries. There was no representation from the electrolytic industry (e.g., production of chlorine and caustic), a major consumer of electrical power. Some input from that segment of the electroseparations community should be sought. Electrodialysis salt splitting was mentioned as a possible candidate for further effort, but no conclusions were drawn. The use of magnetic fields in separations was raised, but no conclusions were drawn. The following conclusions were drawn from the discussions: (1) There is a need for integration of waste treatment processes for small scale plating and metals finishing plants. The end-result would be a self-contained package appropriate for small-scale units having a relatively low technological level. This development would require integration of process design, identification or development of appropriate sensors, and development of a suitable control strategy. (2) There is an opportunity for improvements in the plating industry by integrating development of better process models, control strategies, and sensing. One goal of this effort should be more environmentally benign processing. (3) There are opportunities for new applications for electrolysis. Appropriate new redox reactions should be identified, including those taking place in molten salts. Electrolytic separation of light metals, for example Ca, are possible in molten salts. Interesting separations issues are associated with batteries. The properties of the membrane separator, for example, are often critical for battery performance.

• Research Organization: Electric Power Research Inst., Palo Alto, CA (United States); Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States); Barr Enterprises, Walkersville, MD (United States)
• OSTI ID: 447510
• Report Number(s): EPRI-TR--106434; CONF-9510408--
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
ELECTROCHEMISTRY
ELECTROLYSIS
METAL INDUSTRY
PROCESS CONTROL
SURFACE FINISHING
TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT
WASTE PROCESSING