Scientists at Pennsylvania State University have developed a new class of ion-exchange membranes to capture and reuse substances from agricultural waste. The research was published in the journal ACS Sustainable Chemical Engineering.
Agricultural waste, which is often dumped in landfills, contains para-coumaric acid, a valuable ingredient in pharmaceutical production. Electrodeionization method is used to separate it from the waste mixture. However, this method is not used to filter large volumes due to the lack of suitable filter membranes through which wastewater passes.
Electrodeionization filters consist of an ion exchange membrane and resin layers held together by a polymer adhesive, usually polyethylene. The scientists replaced it with an imidazolium ionomer adhesive. This improved the contact between the resin and the membrane. The change in adhesive also allowed the scientists to use 30% less membrane material, 70% less energy, and speed up filtration and increase efficiency. Advancement of scientists will reduce the cost of cleaning up agricultural waste.