Suitability of Electrodialysis with Monovalent Selective Anion-Exchange Membranes for Fractionation of Aqueous Mixture Containing Reactive Dye and Mineral Salt

To fulfil the goals of the circular economy, the treatment of textile wastewater should be focused on the recovery of valuable components. Monovalent anion-selective electrodialysis (MASED) was applied for the separation of reactive dyes from mineral salts. Standard cation-exchange membranes (CM membranes) and monovalent selective anion-exchange membranes (MVA membranes) were used in the electrodialysis (ED) stack. The separation efficiency was evaluated for model solutions of various reactive dyes (varying in molecular weight and chemical reactivity) containing NaCl. In the course of MASED, the mineral salt was successfully removed from the dye solutions with an efficacy of 97.4–99.4%, irrespectively of the composition of the treated solution. The transport of dye molecules through the ion-exchange membranes (IEMs) from diluate to concentrate compartments was irrelevant. Nonetheless, a significant adsorption of dye particles on the membranes was observed. Around 11–40% of the initial dye mass was deposited in the ED stack. Dye adsorption intensity was significantly affected by dye reactivity. This study showed the potential of the MASED process for the separation of the reactive dye from the mineral salt on condition that antifouling membrane properties are improved. The obtained streams (the concentrate rich in mineral salt and the diluate containing the reactive dye) can be reused in the dye-house textile operations; however, some loss of dye mass should be included.