Development of an electrodeionization and electrodialysis process for the removal of nitrate from drinking water

Nitrate pollution of water sources has been increasing due to the expansion of agriculture and human activities. The use of electrodialysis (ED) technologies has expanded significantly in recent years. In this study, an ED system with current circulation was built, and it was converted to electrodeionization (EDI) by adding resin to its dilute chambers. The EDI and ED systems by examining different operating parameters such as initial concentration, voltage, and flow rate, and their effects on the removal rate were compared. Flow rates of 10, 20, and 30 ml/min, voltages of 5, 10, and 15 V, and various nitrate concentrations (75, 100, 150, and 200 ppm) to assess the nitrate removal percentage were considered. The results showed that the average nitrate removal in the EDI process was significantly higher than in the ED process ( P