Recent Advances in Application of Electrodialysis with Bipolar Membranes for Organic Acid Recovery from Fermentation Broth

Fermentation has become a reliable, cost-competitive, feasible alternative for large-scale industrial production of many bulk and special organic acids. Electrodialysis with bipolar membranes (EDBM) technology was considered as a ''green'' process for organic acid separation from fermentation broth, which has distinct advantages over other electrolysis- based technologies. However, review on the new state on this field is limited. This paper provides an overview of recent progress in application of EDBM process for organic acid production from 2008 to the latest one, including EDBM process integration, application and maintenance. Especially, the influence of different operational factors on the performance of EDBM was systemically discussed. Furthermore, the gaps limiting large-scale field application of EDBM process were analyzed. Keywords: Organic acids, electrodialysis, bipolar membrane, fermentation broth, economics.