A model for the enhanced water dissociation on monopolar membranes

A model for the enhanced water dissociation that takes place at the solution/membrane interface in electromembrane processes is presented. The mechanisms behind the enhanced water dissociation are poorly understood and therefore a semi-empirical approach is suggested. The enhanced water dissociation is introduced as a heterogeneous surface reaction similar to the well established Butler-Volmer law for electrode reactions. In the model there are two parameters that need to be determined through experiments. A 1 D diffusion boundary layer problem is presented and solved in order to show that a sufficient rate of water dissociation can be obtained with the model. The advantage of the presented model is that it can easily be incorporated into simulations of electromembrane processes such as electrodialysis, electrodeionization and electropermutation. The influence of the enhanced water dissociation on these processes can then be studied. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.