Capacitive deionization (CDI) is a technology to deionize water by applying an electrical potential difference over two electrodes, which are often made of porous carbon. Ions are removed from the water and are stored in the oppositely charged electrode. It is a promised technology for treating water to remove any kind of ions. Studies on CDI has been increased significantly in the last ten years though active research from India is not much observed. Comparing with conventional CDI, Flow electrode capacitive deionization technique (FCDI) is very little exploited to make its use in waste water treatment and save large quantity of water economically. The common techniques used for desalination and deionization process face challenges of low water recovery, high energy consumption, membrane fouling and electrodes scaling whereas CDI is free from these issues. FCDI exhibited as a technique with great potential to treat high salinity water and simplify the process for continuous operation. Another advantage of FCDI is the possibility of energy recovery during electrode regeneration step which again reduces the energy consumption. The performance of FCDI is highly dependent on electrode material as well as ion exchange membranes. Graphene based electrode materials are expected to be good flow electrodes for their high specific capacitance and large surface area which support increased storage of ions on electrodes and the research is being carried out in this field.
The Centre for Energy Storage Technologies [CEST] is one of the leading research centres on all aspects of electrical energy storage in India. The CEST is primarily emphasis on the Development of electrochemical energy storage devices with high power density including battery, supercapacitors and Power Dense Devices. The CEST Centre was formed in 2022 to bring together the campus-wide expertise in energy storage, foster collaboration, and provide a focal point for research and education activities.