US-12617699-B2 - Water softening intercalation systems

Abstract

A device for removing ions from a solution. The device includes first and second intercalation hosts, an anion exchange membrane, a first compartment extending between the first intercalation host and the anion exchange membrane, and a second compartment extending between the second intercalation host and the anion exchange membrane. The first and/or second intercalation hosts include a mixture of first and second intercalation materials. The first and/or second intercalation hosts may include layers (e.g., alternating layers) of the first and second intercalation materials. The first and second intercalation materials are different.

Inventors

• Münir M. BESLI
• Saravanan Kuppan
• Sondra Hellstrom
• Jake Christensen

Assignees

• ROBERT BOSCH GMBH

Dates

Publication Date

20260505

Application Date

20210818

Claims (19)

1. 1 . A device for removing ions from a solution, the device comprising: first and second intercalation hosts; an anion exchange membrane; a first compartment extending between the first intercalation host and the anion exchange membrane; and a second compartment extending between the second intercalation host and the anion exchange membrane, the first intercalation host including a first surface adjacent to the first compartment and a second surface opposing the first surface, the second intercalation host including a first surface adjacent to the second compartment and a second surface opposing the first surface, a number of layers extending between the first and second surfaces of the first intercalation host, at least one of the number of layers including a first intercalation material, at least another of the number of layers including a second intercalation material, and the first and second intercalation materials are different, wherein the first intercalation material is configured to predominately intercalate a first type of cations and the second intercalation material is configured to predominantly intercalate a second type of cations.
2. 2 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one of the number of layers including the first intercalation material includes the first surface of the first intercalation host, and the at least another of the number of layers including the second intercalation material contacts the second surface of the first intercalation host.
3. 3 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the number of layers extending between the first and second surfaces of the first intercalation host includes first, second, third, and fourth layers.
4. 4 . The device of claim 3 , wherein the first, second, third, and fourth layers alternating between including the first intercalation material and the second intercalation material.
5. 5 . The device of claim 4 , wherein the first or second intercalation material has a first or second intercalation material concentration gradient.
6. 6 . The device of claim 4 , wherein the first, second, third, and fourth layers include first, second, third, and fourth intercalation materials configured to predominantly intercalate the first type of cation, the second type of cation, a third type of cation, and a fourth type of cation.
7. 7 . The device of claim 6 , wherein the first, second, third, and fourth types of cations are different.
8. 8 . The device of claim 6 , wherein the first, second, third, and fourth types of cations are individually selected from the group consisting of Na + , K + , Ca 2+ , and Mg 2+.
9. 9 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the first type of cations is monovalent cations or divalent cations, and the second type of cations is the other of monovalent cations and divalent cations.
10. 10 . The device of claim 1 , wherein a percentage of the first type of cations intercalated to the total cations intercalated based on a total capacity of the first intercalation material is greater than 50%, and a second percentage of the second type of cations intercalated to the total cations intercalated based on a total capacity of the second intercalation material is greater than 50%.
11. 11 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the first intercalation material is a first Prussian blue analogue compound, the second intercalation material is a second Prussian blue analogue compound, and the first Prussian blue analogue compound is different than the second Prussian blue analogue compound.
12. 12 . A device for removing ions from a solution, the device comprising: first and second intercalation hosts; an anion exchange membrane; a first compartment extending between the first intercalation host and the anion exchange membrane; and a second compartment extending between the second intercalation host and the anion exchange membrane, the first and/or second intercalation hosts including a mixture of first and second intercalation materials, the first and second intercalation materials are different, and the mixture has a different amount of the first and second intercalation materials wherein the first intercalation host includes first and second layers, and the mixture of first and second intercalation materials is disposed in the first or second layer.
13. 13 . The device of claim 12 , wherein the first intercalation material is configured to predominately intercalate a first type of cations and the second intercalation material is configured to predominately intercalate a second type of cations.
14. 14 . The device of claim 13 , wherein the first type of cations is monovalent cations or divalent cations, and the second type of cations is the other of monovalent cations and divalent cations.
15. 15 . The device of claim 13 , wherein a percentage of the first type of cations intercalated to the total cations intercalated based on a total capacity of the first intercalation material is greater than 50%, and a second percentage of the second type of cations intercalated to the total cations intercalated based on a total capacity of the second intercalation material is greater than 50%.
16. 16 . The device of claim 13 , wherein the first intercalation material is a first Prussian blue analogue compound, the second intercalation material is a second Prussian blue analogue compound, and the first Prussian blue analogue compound is different than the second Prussian blue analogue compound.
17. 17 . The device of claim 12 , wherein the mixture of first and second intercalation materials is a homogenous mixture of first and second intercalation materials.
18. 18 . The device of claim 12 , wherein the first and second intercalation materials are coated with carbon nanotubes.
19. 19 . The device of claim 12 , wherein the mixture of first and second intercalation materials includes carbon nanotubes.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates to water softening intercalation systems, for instance, intercalative water desalination (IDI) systems. SUMMARY According to one embodiment, a system for removing ions from a solution is disclosed. The system includes an upstream device including first and second upstream intercalation hosts and an upstream anion exchange membrane. The upstream device includes a first upstream compartment extending between the first upstream intercalation host and the upstream anion exchange membrane. The upstream device includes a second upstream compartment extending between the second upstream intercalation host and the upstream anion exchange membrane. The first and/or second upstream intercalation hosts include a first intercalation material configured to predominately intercalate a first type of cations from a solution flowing through the first and/or second upstream compartments, respectively. The downstream device includes first and second downstream intercalation hosts and a downstream anion exchange membrane. The downstream device includes a first downstream compartment extending between the first downstream intercalation host and the downstream anion exchange membrane. The downstream device includes a second downstream compartment extending between the second downstream intercalation host and the downstream anion exchange membrane. The first and/or second downstream intercalation hosts include a second intercalation material configured to predominately intercalate a second type of cations from the solution flowing through the first and/or second downstream compartments, respectively. The first and second types of cations are different. According to another embodiment, a device for removing ions from a solution is disclosed. The device includes first and second intercalation hosts, an anion exchange membrane, a first compartment extending between the first intercalation host and the anion exchange membrane, and a second compartment extending between the second intercalation host and the anion exchange membrane. The first intercalation host includes a first surface adjacent to the first compartment and a second surface opposing the first surface. The second intercalation host includes a first surface adjacent to the second compartment and a second surface opposing the first surface. A number of layers extend between the first and second surfaces of the first and/or second intercalation hosts. At least one of the number of layers is formed of at least a portion of a first intercalation material. At least another of the number of layers is formed of at least a portion of a second intercalation material. The first and second intercalation materials are different. In one or more embodiments, the first or second intercalation material has a first or second intercalation material concentration gradient. According to yet another embodiment, a device for removing ions from a solution is disclosed. The device includes first and second intercalation hosts, an anion exchange membrane, a first compartment extending between the first intercalation host and the anion exchange membrane, and a second compartment extending between the second intercalation host and the anion exchange membrane. The first and/or second intercalation hosts include a mixture of first and second intercalation materials. The first and second intercalation materials are different. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 depicts a schematic diagram of a capacitive deionization (CDI) system. FIGS. 2a and 2b depict a schematic diagram of an intercalative desalination (IDI) system. FIG. 3 depicts a schematic diagram of an example of a hybrid electrochemical desalination system. FIG. 4 depicts a schematic diagram of a sequential intercalative desalination (IDI) system. FIG. 5 depicts a schematic diagram of an IDI device having intercalation hosts including a gradient including two or more host materials. FIG. 6 depicts a schematic diagram of an IDI device having intercalation hosts including alternating layers of two or more host materials. FIG. 7 depicts a schematic diagram of an IDI device having intercalation hosts including a mixture of two or more host materials. DETAILED DESCRIPTION Embodiments of the present disclosure are described herein. It is to be understood, however, that the disclosed embodiments are merely examples and other embodiments can take various and alternative forms. The figures are not necessarily to scale; some features could be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particular components. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the embodiments. As those of ordinary skill in the art will understand, various features illustrated and described with reference to any one of the figures can be combined with features illustrated