The Determination of a Cost Optimal Design for a Multiple Stage Continuous Electrodialysis Desalination Device for Use in Domestic Point of Use Water Purification

Abstract

Copyright © 2020 ASME. There is a large and growing demand for point of use (POU) water desalination in emerging economies, such as India, where there is a large reliance on brackish (saline) groundwater reservoirs to meet drinking needs. In this work we propose a design for a two-stage continuous ED system that addresses the requirements of the Indian market while providing a higher water recovery than existing POU reverse osmosis products. Optimization was applied to minimize capital cost while ensuring 90% recovery of the feed, 90% salt reduction, and 15 L/hr of desalinated water production. The optimized design had a capital cost of approximately US$ 106, which is below the retail price of current RO purifiers on the market. Therefore, two-stage continuous ED shows promise for being a costcompetitive but water-efficient alternative to POU RO in India.