Electro-active adsorption technology for organic acid removal from water
A novel electro-active adsorption (EAA) technology designed to effectively capture small organic acids dissolved in water. Utilizing a non-uniform electric field, it enhances ion drift and adsorption using biochar-derived activated carbon as electrodes.
Overview
This innovative electro-active adsorption (EAA) technology is engineered to efficiently capture small organic acids from aqueous solutions. By leveraging a non-uniform electric field, the EAA system induces a dielectrophoresis effect, significantly enhancing the drift and adsorption of ions on electrodes. This technology uses environmentally friendly activated carbon electrodes derived from biochar, offering a high specific adsorption capacity suitable for diverse applications in water treatment and chemical processing.
Technical specifications
Key features:
- Utilizes a non-uniform electric field to enhance ion drift and adsorption
- Employs renewable biochar-derived activated carbon as electrodes
- Demonstrates high specific adsorption capacity due to double layer super capacitance
- Designed to handle various organic acids in water, improving drift mobility by reducing ion-water cluster size
Validation tasks include:
- Establishing a dielectrophoresis enhanced EAA cell
- Experimental validation with synthesized organic acid solutions
- Evaluating the system's performance on real fermentation broths
Technology readiness level
This technology is currently at Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 3, indicating that it is in the experimental proof-of-concept stage. Ongoing research aims to demonstrate its effectiveness in practical applications over the next 12 months.
About Michigan State University
Michigan State University is a major public land‑grant research university with a comprehensive academic portfolio and a large research enterprise. Industry partners engage through an on‑campus U.S. Department of Energy national user facility and shared core laboratories with user access. The university provides a chemical process scale‑up pilot plant on Michigan’s lakeshore, a research and technology park, and a Grand Rapids health innovation campus linking researchers with clinical partners. A statewide extension network supports field deployment and workforce training across Michigan’s manufacturing corridor. Research is backed by competitive federal funding from NSF, NIH, DOE, USDA, and DoD, while dedicated tech transfer and corporate engagement teams—supported by an affiliated research foundation—accelerate IP, licensing, startups, and sponsored research.
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