Graphite electrode, current collector for water treatment, osmotic power

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Water is vital to life on earth. We use this valuable resource not only as drinking water and for our nutrition and hygiene, but it also serves as a raw material, energy source, process and transport medium, among other things. Depending on its intended use, it must be treated, purified, or processed for this purpose.

Bipolar plates, graphite foils and sheets made of flexible graphite:

Innovative materials for many processes in water treatment and energy generation by osmosis.

Perfectly treated and purified water - whether wastewater, process water or drinking water -, the maximum recyclability of this valuable resource and the realization of cost-saving potentials are topics that concern the water industry, companies and users alike.

To achieve these goals, established as well as improved and new processes require innovative materials - this is where graphite products from SGL Carbon come into play. This applies to wastewater treatment and water treatment as well as to energy generation from a difference in salinity between two water flows (salinity gradient power). In all these applications, our materials can help to exploit the full performance of the respective system.

Graphite foil in a blue energy application

SGL Carbon’s flexible graphite foil has been tested at an R&D level by REDstack BV at its research facility at the Afsluitdijk, The Netherlands, as a current feeder for capacitive electrodes in reverse electrodialysis (RED) applications.

Electrochemical wastewater treatment processes like electrocoagulation or electrochemical disinfection can profit from the corrosion resistance and other outstanding benefits of SGL Carbon’s SIGRACELL^® bipolar plates (BPP). The material is ideal for use in chemical-free wastewater treatment processes.

Various water treatment and purification process steps like coagulation, desalination, disinfection, purification, or softening can benefit from using flexible graphite products.

Technologies and methods in which SIGRACELL BPP, SIGRATHERM^® flexible graphite foil or SIGRATHERM graphite sheets could be used, include

Electrocoagulation (EC)
Electrodialysis (ED)
Electrodialysis reversal (EDR)
Electro deionization (EDI)
Membrane capacitive deionization (MCDI)
Electrochemical disinfection
Water softening

Please contact us, if you would like to learn more about the benefits our materials provide for water treatment or just ask for samples.

For osmotic power generation, also known as salinity gradient energy or blue energy, electrodes made from graphite bipolar plates and graphite current collectors could be ideal solutions: Due to their excellent corrosion resistance and high electrical conductivity.

SGL Carbon flexible graphite materials are successfully used e. g. for reverse electrodialysis (RED) and osmotic diffusion.

SIGRACELL bipolar plates: Resistant electrodes for water treatment

SIGRACELL bipolar plates (BPP) are graphite composite materials made from high-quality expanded graphite and fluoropolymers or thermoset resins.

Graphite BPP made by SGL Carbon are suitable for use as high-performance electrodes in various water treatment applications and salinity gradient power generation.

Picture of a rolled SIGRATHERM graphite foil

SIGRATHERM Graphite foils and sheets: Ideal current collectors

For 50 years, SGL Carbon produces flexible graphite foil and sheets from natural graphite flakes without any additives or binders. The solutions from our product portfolio are just as diverse as the requirements of our customers on our materials.

Matched to your specific requirements, we identify the best solution from our broad range of materials for water treatment and osmotic power generation. Various grades of SIGRACELL bipolar plates and SIGRATHERM foils are available.

SIGRACELL^® Bipolar Plates

SGL Carbon's SIGRATHERM Foil for Thermal Management

SIGRATHERM^® Foils for Thermal Management

Application	Technology	Materials
		SIGRACELL^® BPP	SIGRATHERM^® flexible graphite foils and sheets
Wastewater treatment	Electrocoagulation (EC)	●
Wastewater treatment	Electrochemical disinfection	●
Water treatment	Electrocoagulation (EC)	●
	Electrodialysis (ED)/ Electrodialysis reversal (EDR)	●
	Electro deionization (EDI)		●
	Membrane capacitive deionization (MCDI)		●
	Electrochemical disinfection	●
	Water softening	●
Power generation from salinity gradients	Reverse electrodialysis (RED)		●
Power generation from salinity gradients	Osmotic power generation	●