In this study, the transport and removal of inhibitors from the hydrolysate of a waste mushroom medium and the fouling phenomena were investigated in the electrodialysis (ED), an electrochemical process using ion exchange membranes in the electric field. In the preliminary study, the influence of pH and potential on the process performance was investigated using synthetic solutions containing acetic acid and glucose. The removal of acetic acid, a weak acid inhibitor, was especially high when the process was operated at higher solution pH values and potentials. In the electrodialytic experiments of the hydrolysate of a waste mushroom medium as lignocellulosic biomass, the high removal efficiency of formic acid and acetic acid was measured due to the electrotransport in the electric field. Furthermore, non-ionizable inhibitors, furfural and HMF (5-hydroxymethylfurfural), were removed due to diffusion and adsorption through ion exchange membranes. During the ED experiments, the deposition of organics decreased the process performance. However, the process performance was not changed as reversible fouling by chemical cleaning methods. It was clearly shown that the inhibitors could be removed effectively without any significant fouling effect in the ED process of the hydrolysate of a lignocellulosic biomass. (c) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.