Long-term behavior of AEMs after industrial ED for whey demineralization was studied.
AEM ageing is due to OH− attack during the cleaning-in-place procedure used in ED.
Strong alkaline conditions cause the transformation of AEM polymeric binder, i.e. PVC.
Cleaning cycles caused entanglement modifications on the polymer structure of AEMs.
Ageing due to ex-situ cleaning cycles is similar to that obtained after industrial ED.