Capacitive Deionization System for Nutritive Salt Removal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Eutrophication caused by water blooms in bodies of water held by dams or weirs due to excessive nutritive salts, leading to oxygen depletion and ecosystem destruction, with existing methods being inadequate for effective removal, especially during summer and drought periods.
Innovation Solution
A capacitive deionization (CDI) system mounted on ships or vehicles, utilizing multiple filter trains for primary and secondary filtration, with automatic cleaning and filtration direction switching, to remove nutritive salts such as nitrates and phosphates from water, enhancing removal efficiency and allowing for real-time operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If advanced biological processing is performed to remove phosphorus and nitrogen, then nutritive salt removal efficiency is improved, but treatment time and system complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex biological processing systems with a simpler capacitive deionization system using electrode assemblies. The CDI system uses electrical fields to directly remove ions (phosphorus and nitrogen) from water without requiring complex biological treatment processes, thereby maintaining high removal efficiency while reducing system complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the operational parameters by using variable voltage application to the electrode assemblies. By controlling the voltage cycles (charging and discharging phases), the system efficiently captures and releases nutritive salts, achieving high removal efficiency through parameter optimization rather than complex system design
2Productivity
If floodgate is kept open to reduce total dissolved solids, then water flow is improved, but removal precision of nutritive salts deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical floodgate opening method with an electrical field-based capacitive deionization system. This substitution allows for precise removal of nutritive salts through controlled voltage application, achieving both adequate water flow management and high precision salt removal that cannot be achieved by simply opening floodgates
3Productivity
If multiple filter trains are used for primary and secondary filtration, then removal efficiency is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the filtration system into multiple electrode assemblies that can be connected in series to form filter trains. Each electrode assembly acts as an independent filtration unit, and by segmenting the system this way, the patent achieves high removal efficiency through multiple stages while maintaining relatively simple individual components that can be easily assembled and maintained
4Reliability
If automatic cleaning and filtration direction switching are implemented, then operational reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic cleaning cycles where electrode assemblies are automatically cleaned at intervals during operation. By using periodic action rather than continuous complex cleaning mechanisms, the system maintains high operational reliability while keeping the cleaning mechanism relatively simple. The filtration direction switching also follows periodic patterns, alternating between different electrode assemblies to maintain efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates automatic cleaning capabilities that operate without external intervention. The electrode assemblies are designed to be self-cleaning through periodic voltage reversal and flushing mechanisms, improving operational reliability while minimizing the need for complex external cleaning equipment and manual maintenance
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The CDI system effectively reduces dissolved oxygen depletion, prevents water pollution, and minimizes ecosystem damage by continuously removing nutritive salts, achieving over 80% recovery efficiency and allowing for rapid deployment to areas with water blooms, with the potential to sell collected salts as fertilizer materials.
Implementation Method 1
nutritive salts that cause eutrophication of water due to a water-bloom phenomenon in a body of water held by a dam or a weir may be removed by capacitive deionization (CDI)
Implementation Method 2
utilizing multiple filter trains for primary and secondary filtration, with automatic cleaning and filtration direction switching, to remove nutritive salts such as nitrates and phosphates from water
Data Source
AI summary
A capacitive-deionization-type nutritive salt removal system and method uses capacitive deionization (CDI) to remove nutritive salts that cause eutrophication of water due to a water-bloom phenomenon in water held by a dam or a weir. The system includes an intake pump configured to take in the water; a first nutritive salt filtration unit configured to use capacitive deionization to primarily filter out nutritive salts from the taken-in water; a second nutritive salt filtration unit configured to use capacitive deionization to secondarily filter out nutritive salts from the primarily filtered water; and a nutritive salt storage tank configured to collect and store nutritive salts filtered through the second nutritive salt filtration unit. When one filter train is operating the first or second nutritive salt filtration unit, another filter train is subjected to automatic cleaning in a standby state.