The European Desalination Society has announced details of a course on ion-exchange membranes to be held in Genoa, Italy, on 4-6 June 2012.

Ion-Exchange Membrane Processes: Their principle and practical applications will be a three-day intensive course led by Professor Heiner Strathman.

Ion-exchange membranes and their practical utilization in electromembrane processes have gained significant technical and commercial importance in water deionization and purification as well as in electrochemical synthesis and in energy conversion and energy storage. Certain processes such as electrodialysis are mature state-of-the-art techniques, while other processes such as capacitive electrodeionization and electrodialysis with bipolar membranes or the use of ion-exchange membranes in fuel cells and energy conversion are more recent developments which show a large number of interesting applications.

The objective of this seminar is to provide a comprehensive description of the fundamentals of ion-exchange membranes processes and their applications. The subject is covered in six chapters.

First, a very general overview of relevant ion-exchange membrane processes is given. Then some electrochemical and thermodynamic fundamentals are discussed. The preparation and characterization of ion-exchange membranes is described next. This is followed by a discussion of the various processes as unit operations and the design of systems and equipment. Finally, present and possible future applications of ion-exchange membrane processes are treated, and research needs are pointed out.

Further details and a registration form are available online.