Next-generation electrodialysis reversal (EDR) technology
Published on by Water Network Research, Official research team of The Water Network in Case Studies
QUA, an Aquatech company, introduced EDR-Q, a next-generation electrodialysis reversal (EDR) technology engineered for high-recovery desalination, water reuse, and specialty process applications.
The launch expands QUA’s advanced membrane portfolio, which includes electrodeionization (FEDI), ultrafiltration (Q-SEP), submerged MBR (EnviQ), and ceramic membrane filtration (CeraQ) technologies. EDR-Q is purpose-built for industrial applications where selective ion removal is crucial to overall process performance. Food & beverage: whey de-ashing, high-grade protein separation, and tartrate stabilization.
- Critical minerals: lithium concentration and metal recovery from brine and process water.
- Acid-alkali recovery from industrial manufacturing waste streams.
- Water & wastewater: brackish water desalination and recovery of water from RO reject upstream of zero liquid discharge (ZLD) systems.
“In addition to conventional desalination and water recycle applications upstream of a ZLD/MLD system, EDR-Q is an elegant solution for specialty critical minerals and metal recovery flowsheets,” said Ravi Chidambaran, chief technology officer and president at Aquatech. “Broadening QUA’s technology portfolio into electrodialysis reversal is an exciting step that furthers our core goal of enhancing water reuse and resource recovery for our customers.”
EDR-Q applies a direct electric current across alternating ion exchange membranes to remove dissolved salts and ionic contaminants from water. The polarity of the current reverses automatically at programmed intervals, disrupting fouling and scaling, and maintaining stable performance without frequent chemical cleaning. This design delivers up to 95% water recovery and ensures reliable operation even under high silica, sulfate, and turbidity conditions. EDR-Q’s high-performance design minimizes downtime and operational cost through:
- Chemical-free in situ cleaning driven by regular polarity reversal to disrupt scaling and fouling.
- High turbidity tolerance, enabling operation without upstream polishing using reverse osmosis.
- High tolerance of silica and sulfates. - Wide pH tolerance for treatment of challenging industrial streams.
- Low-chemical CIP procedure to reduce maintenance frequency.
EDR-Q is available in three models, spanning flow rates of 1.5–9.0 m³/hr, with a compact modular construction enabling straightforward installation and parallel stack operation for higher flow applications.
Taxonomy
- RO Systems
- Reverse Osmosis
- Technology
- Reverse Osmosis
- Membrane
- Water, Waste Water Chemical & Treatment