Comparisons of fish meat extract desalination by electrodialysis using different configurations of membrane stack

The desalination of fish meat extract was performed via electrodialysis based on different membrane stack configurations (i.e., conventional electrodialysis or packed-bed electrodialysis) at a constant current. The salt removal and brix change showed that the diluted fish meat extract could be effectively desalted using electrodialysis, while the mostly nutritional ingredients remained in the dilution. Compared with the conventional electrodialysis (ED), a lower membrane stack potential meant lower energy consumption and higher current efficiency for the same salt removal in the packed-bed electrodialysis (PBED). The results indicated that the PBED might be more suitable for use in the fish meat extract desalination due to the effects of ion exchange resins in enhancing ion electromigration and mitigating membrane fouling.