Industrial ion exchange desalination, desalination
Ion exchange desalination, also known as ion exchange total desalination, is an older technology for producing ultrapure waters. This water treatment and water purification technology has been used and is still used today in places where water quality below 1 µs, almost disltilled water is required.
In ion exchange desalination plants, two different technologie are distinguished. The first is the use of conventional cation and anion exchange charges, and the second is a mixed bed ion exchanger where the cation and anion exchange resins are mixed in one charge. The basic difference between two is that in the former anion and cation charges have to be regenerated on place with already mentioned chemicals, while in the mixed bed charge is regenerated by a specialized company by resin exchange and their own site in a special resin separator. Essentially both can produce same quality, only there is a difference between regeneration modes. Between two different technologies, you can decide how much desalinated water you need. Up to 1-2 m3/h or 10-20 m3/day water consumption, the mixed bed system may be more economical, while for larger applications the cation and anion charge system is recommended. Here we would note an important element of consideration is pre-treated or raw water enters the ion exchanger. If wee need a complete ion exchange system after pre-treatment, it is almost certain (depending ont he flow volume) that a mixed bed ion exchanger is sufficient, as a 10-20 µs of water will exhaust a charge for a very long time. even months.
