Utilization of a buck boost converter and the method of segmented capacitors in a CDI water purification system

A novel method for making Capacitive Deionization (CDI) water purification more efficient and cheaper using a buck- boost DC/DC converter is presented in this paper. The energy recovery is superior (51%) versus maximum reported results in the literature (30%) [1]. First, the concept of a CDI cell is introduced. Second, the existing methods for energy recovery are reported showing their advantages and disadvantages. Then, the novel method using a buck-boost converter is presented. Also, the method of segmented capacitors is presented. Simulation results are provided. Experimental data verified the new technique and agrees with simulation.