Ion Exchange Process In Water Treatment

Ion exchange is a method widely used in household laundry detergents and water filters to produce soft water.

Ion exchange process in water treatment.

Ion exchange is a process used extensively in nuclear facilities industrial processes and medical and pharmaceutical operations to control the purity and ph of water by removing undesirable ions and replacing them with acceptable ones. Both the contaminant and the exchanged substance must be dissolved and have the same type of electrical charge positive or negative. Water softeners usually use sodium na as the exchange ion. The ion exchange process can be used in a variety of ways when it comes to water purification and softening.

This is accomplished by exchanging calcium ca 2 and magnesium mg 2 cations against na or h cations see water softening. There is no picture for this anion exchange as it is very similar to the cation exchange picture in figure 5 above. Ion exchange is a water treatment method where one or more undesirable ionic contaminants are removed from water by exchange with another non objectionable or less objectionable ionic substance. In the ion exchange process sodium ions are used to coat an exchange medium in the softener.

At the end of the exchange process the resin beads have loaded all cations and anions from the water and released h and oh ions. While the chemistry of individual ion exchange reactions varies from one application to the next ix is a treatment process where dissolved ions are replaced by other more desirable ions of a similar electrical charge. Sodium ions are supplied from dissolved sodium chloride salt also called brine. Unwanted ions that are dissolved in the water are replaced with new beneficial or harmless ions of an equivalent charge.

All anions are replaced by hydroxide oh ions. The exchange medium can be natural zeolites or synthetic resin beads that resemble wet sand. But what exactly is it. Ion exchanger in water treatment process the ion exchanger regeneration procedure involves three steps 1 the softener is taken out of service and a swift flow of water is passed upward through the zeolite bed.

Ion exchange ix systems are used across a variety of industries for water softening purification and separation purposes. Ion exchange is a water treatment process commonly used for water softening or demineralization but it also is used to remove other substances from the water in processes such as dealkalization deionization and disinfection.