Emerging electrochemical processes for materials recovery from wastewater: Mechanisms and prospects

Highlights

• Mechanisms for selective recovery of materials in electrochemical processes are discussed.

• Wastewaters that contain recoverable materials are reviewed.

• Application prospects are discussed from both technical and non-technical aspects.

Abstract

Recovering valuable materials from waste streams is critical to the transition to a circular economy with reduced environmental damages caused by resource extraction activities. Municipal and industrial wastewaters contain a variety of materials, such as nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus), lithium, and rare earth elements, which can be recovered as value-added products. Owing to their modularity, convenient operation and control, and the non-requirement of chemical dosage, electrochemical technologies offer a great promise for resource recovery in small-scale, decentralized systems. Here, we review three emerging electrochemical technologies for materials recovery applications: electrosorption based on carbonaceous and intercalation electrodes, electrochemical redox processes, and electrochemically induced precipitation. We highlight the mechanisms for achieving selective materials recovery in these processes. We also present an overview of the advantages and limitations of these technologies, as well as the key challenges that need to be overcome for their deployment in real-world systems to achieve cost-effective and sustainable materials recovery.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

Materials recovery / Electrosorption / Capacitive deionization / Redox processes / Electrochemical precipitation

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Acknowledgements

We gratefully acknowledge the support from the startup funds and the Cross-Disciplinary Research Fund from the George Washington University.

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