Bipolar Membranes: A review on principles, preparation methods and applications in environmental and resource recovery

Membrane technology has become increasingly important in chemical, biological, and materials engineering, especially bipolar membranes (BPMs) technology, which has received widespread attention due to its unique ion-conversion ability. Based on the systematic analysis of the structure and basic principles of BPMs, this paper summarized the advantages, disadvantages and precautions of the BPMs preparation methods, and provided guidance for the selection of suitable preparation methods. In addition, the key factors affecting the performance of BPMs were reviewed in detail, including the hydrolysis dissociation catalyst, the selection of membrane materials, and the optimization of operating conditions. The application cases of bipolar membrane electrodialysis technology(BMED) in clean production, wastewater treatment, energy, especially the potential in acid-base recovery, were discussed in depth. The advantages of bipolar membrane technology and the need to break through the challenges of stability, durability and cost-effectiveness were also pointed out. Future research should focus on the development of novel bipolar membrane materials, the exploration of efficient catalysts for hydrolytic dissociation, and the integration and application with other technologies for more efficient and economical industrial processes.