Volume 2: Innovative Solutions for Energy Transitions: Part I

Electricity from Low-Grade Heat: Increasing Industry Efficiency by Adsorption Reverse Electrodialysis C. Olkis, S. Brandani, G. Santori

Abstract

Enormous amounts of low-grade heat 60-90 °C are available from industrial processes that can be converted into electricity by Adsorption Reverse Electrodialysis. This study assesses the concept by using experimental data from an adsorption desalination system at 60 °C. The experimental energy consumption of the adsorption regeneration is used to determine the energy and exergy efficiency of the overall system based on the results of a thermodynamic analysis. The system can achieve exergy efficiencies up to 12 % with solutions that can be used in current membranes. Advanced solutions increase the exergy efficiency to 30-40 % highlighting the great potential of the technology.

Keywords Adsorption desalination, Closed-loop, Reverse Electrodialysis, Gibbs free energy, Experiments