Ion-exchange membranes and their application are not a recent development. Processes such
as electrodialysis have been used on a large industrial scale for more than half a century. The
literature covering various processes involving ion-exchange membranes and their applications is
very broad, extremely fragmented, and contained in a number of different scientific journals and
in various patents. This makes it difficult to gain a reasonably accurate overview of ion-exchange
membranes and their applications. While other membrane processes such as reverse osmosis or
micro- and ultrafiltration are described in great detail in a number of excellent text and reference
books there is hardly any comprehensive treatment of ion-exchange membrane separation
processes. Therefore, the time seems to be appropriate for a book that emphasizes the most
relevant aspects of this today already widely used technology.