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 electrochemical processes in water & wastewater treatment and energy generation by osmosis.

Perfectly treated and purified water is key. Be it industrial or municipal 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, improved and new processes require innovative materials - this is where graphite products from SGL Carbon come into play. This applies to wastewater treatment, water treatment as well as water use for 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 potential of the respective system.

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

Various electrochemical water treatment processes like coagulation, desalination, disinfection, precipitation, purification, demineralization, and water softening can benefit from using expanded graphite products.

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

Electrocoagulation (EC), electroflotocoagulation, capacitive coagulation
Electrodialysis (ED)
Electroflotation
Electrofiltration
Electro-Fenton process
Electrodeionization (EDI), (membrane) capacitive deionization (MCDI, CDI)
Electrochemical disinfection, electrodisinfection
Microbial water treatment
Electrochemical destruction
Electrochemical water softening
Electrocatalysis, photoelectrocatalysis, sonoelectrocatalysis
Electrocatalytic oxidation (EOX)
(Advanced) oxidation processes (AOP, AOX)
(Advanced) electrooxidation (AEO)
Electroreduction
Electrolysis

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

For osmotic power generation, also known as salinity gradient energy or blue energy, electrodes made e. g. from SIGRACELL graphite bipolar plates and SIGRATHERM 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.

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.

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 media and corrosion resistant and electrically conductive. Therefore, the plates 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 more than 50 years, SGL Carbon produces flexible graphite foil and sheets from natural graphite flakes without any additives or binders.

The solutions in our product portfolio are just as diverse as the requirements of our customers on our materials. All our flexible graphite products offer common benefits which are essential for high performance of electrochemical processes:

Matched to your specific requirements, we identify the best solution from our broad range of materials for water and wastewater treatment as well as osmotic power generation. We offer various grades of SIGRACELL bipolar plates, SIGRATHERM foils, and SIGRATHERM sheets for different electrochemical technologies.

SIGRACELL^® Bipolar Plates

SGL Carbon's SIGRATHERM Foil for Thermal Management

SIGRATHERM^® Foils for Thermal Management

Application	Technology	Materials
		SIGRACELL^® bipolar plates	SIGRATHERM^® flexible graphite foils and sheets
Wastewater treatment	Electrocoagulation	●	●
	Capacitive coagulation	●	●
	Electrochemical disinfection	●	●
	Advanced oxidation process	●	●
	Electrocatalytic oxidation	●	●
	Electrochemical oxidation	●	●
	Electrolysis	●	●
Water treatment	Electrocoagulation	●	●
	Electrodialysis	●	●
	Electrodeionization	●	●
	(Membrane) Capacitive deionization	●	●
	Electrochemical disinfection	●	●
	Electrochemical water softening	●	●
	Electrochemical microbial treatment	●	●
Power generation from salinity gradients	Reverse electrodialysis	●	●
Power generation from salinity gradients	Osmotic power generation	●	●