Architecting an electro-chemical separation platform : from the business case to the first commercial product
Name
1054927394-MIT.pdf
Description
Full printable version
Size
4.32 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
30c1118c1392265503ad2c3648ba1412
Author(s)
Moreau, Adrien A
Advisor(s)
T. Alan Hatton.
Date Issued
2018
Publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract
Electrosorption technology is currently gaining significant tractions as a viable separation technique due to its low energy consumption, its intrinsic reversibility and its reagent free nature. As most companies thrive towards a more sustainable approach, electro-chemical based process become more and more attractive. The group of Prof. Hatton of the Chemical Engineering department at MIT has improved further the state of the art of electro-chemical technologies by using functionalized metallocene-based pseudo-capacitors. Their research demonstrates that the technology they developed can selectively remove specific compounds such as carboxylates, sulfonates, phosphonates and potentially heavy metals. The aim of this thesis is to help the technology find a first market fit and build the foundation for a successful scale-up by defining its positioning within the treatment train of the production of the identified markets. Two main markets were identified. The selection of each market was based on the price of the end-product, the size and growth of the market and the numbers of applications and potential customers. The lactic acid and the lithium carbonate markets were selected. Both are growing markets sustaining a real demand over the years to come with very promising and diversified applications. We collected real-life feedbacks and identified the pain points in each respective industry by conducting interviews with professionals in the field. Several unmet needs and possible alignments with the benefits brought by the selective electrosorption technology were identified thanks to this endeavor. New potential production lines were proposed. The new innovative treatment line allows for the simplification of the process train, a reduction of the chemical and reagent needed and a likely decrease in solid waste and wastewater volume.
Description
Thesis: S.M. in Engineering and Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, System Design and Management Program, 2018.
Page 49 blank. Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (page [48] ).
Subjects
Engineering and Management Program.
Integrated Design and Management Program.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Engineering and Management Program
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Integrated Design and Management Program.
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