NEWater Cation Exchange Resin

NEWater’s Cation Exchange Resin is composed of high-quality components that enable it to function well in the water filtration system. Our cation exchange resins are used to precisely extract unnecessary water impurities to establish a successful ion exchange system. The combination of anion and cation exchange resins allows for the complete elimination of anionic (+) and cationic (-) substances. It functions to soften water, removing hardness-causing ions thereby preventing scale buildup to prolong the lifespan of the equipment. Moreover, NEWater’s cation exchange resins have a proven high elimination rate to generate high-quality water. Our cation exchange resins are mostly used by different industries because of their effectiveness in producing ionic-free water such as the food/beverage industry, drinking water refilling business, sugar industry, pharmaceutical/laboratory industry, and many more.

Count on us to provide a high-quality product, such as cation exchange resins, that has been precisely manufactured to be efficient and cost-effective. All our products are certified to international standards to ensure they are environmentally friendly and innovative to meet our clients’ expectations. Connect with us by sending your inquiries at info.@newater.com for a hassle-free transaction of your cation exchange resins.

The Ultimate FAQ Guide for Cation Exchange Resins.

The reliance on unconventional water sources like oceans and underground reservoirs continues to proliferate as conventional freshwater reserves dry up. However, most of these unorthodox sources are polluted and are unfit for use in most potable water applications. This has inadvertently led to the burgeoning of water treatment technologies as the world grapples for dependable remedies to freshwater insufficiency. One of these essential technologies developed is ion exchange. Underneath, we will be walking through an essential component of ion exchange: cation exchange resin and its principal role in water filtration.

➣What is a Cation Exchange Resin?

A cation exchange resin is an insoluble polymer made of positively charged functional groups that help exchange pollutant cations with less objectionable cations. To be precise, cation exchange resins are deployed in ion exchange systems to specifically extract cationic impurities. In most ion exchange systems, they are used in conjunction with anion exchange resins. This facilitates the complete elimination of anionic and cationic pollutants.

Nonetheless, cation exchange resins can also be utilized as standalone water treatment components. This is evidenced in applications such as water softening and de-alkalinization. The Resins automatically regenerate and this is facilitated by the integrated metered PLC controllers. Typical cation exchange resins are regenerated using acids such as hydrochloric (HCL) acid and sulphuric H2SO4 acid.

If utilized appropriately, cation exchange resins are capable of eliminating virtually all cationic pollutants. This includes scaling and hardness-causing ions like Calcium, Magnesium, and Iron. To mitigate the clogging of the resin bed, sediment filters are always used to expel suspended solids. Our cation exchange resins are of unrivaled quality. This allows them to function optimally for years without any mishaps.

➣What Are the Main Benefits of Cation Exchange Resins?

Virtually all users of cation exchange resins would agree that they are highly rewarding units with minimal or no cons. Their principal reward is compounded by the range of impurities they extract to generate high-quality water. Underneath is a list of the primary benefits associated with cation exchange resins.

• They permit the selective elimination of ionized impurities. Cation exchange resins are essentially used to exchange cationic impurities with non-pollutant ions like H+ and Na+.
• They have a high elimination efficiency when it comes to the removal of cationic pollutants.
• They function excellently at low-pressure points, which ultimately makes their operating costs affordable.
• In PLC-controlled ion exchangers, regeneration is automatically initiated. This helps prolong the lifespan of the exchange resins.
• They extract hardness-causing ions thereby preventing the accumulation of limescale on pipes and other valuable appliances.
• They can be combined with anion exchange resins to facilitate optimal demineralization.

➣What Are the Primary Applications of Cation Exchange Resins?

Cation exchange resins are essentially used in water ion exchange systems and water deionizer systems to expel undesirable ionic impurities. Ordinarily, they are deployed in tandem with anion exchange resins but in certain applications, they can be used independently. Beneath, we will be looking at the primary fields of application for cation exchange resins.

●      Water softening.

Cation exchange resins, particularly the ones charged with sodium or potassium ions are used to remove water hardness. They accomplish this by replacing hardness ions (Mg2+ and Ca2+) with Na+ or K+ ions. As a matter of fact, cation exchange resin water softeners are the most effective and most utilized water softening systems. Water softener systems are essential given that they mitigate scaling, which minimizes the efficiency of soaps and fouls metallic surfaces.

●      Partial demineralization.

Water deionizer systems comprise anionic and cationic exchange resins. In water deionization application, the two resins are combined to expel both anionic and cationic contaminants. Cationic exchange resins in DI water systems are employed before anion exchange resins and their primary role is to remove all positively charged ions. After the water has been stripped off all cations, the water is then passed through anion exchange resins.

●      Iron removal.

Water with high iron content is likely to leave disgusting stains on dishes, porcelain bathtubs, and clothes. In addition, consumption of this water can have devastating health implications on the consumer. Cation exchange resins extract iron (Fe2+) ions by simply exchanging them for hydrogen (H+) ions. Even ion exchange water softeners are capable of eliminating traces of iron (up to 5 microns).

➣How Do Cation Exchange Resins Work?

Cation exchange resins remove positively charged ions from water using ion-exchange chromatography. It is however worthy to note that the feed water fed into a cation exchange resin must first be pretreated. Ordinarily, pretreatment is undertaken using sediment and carbon filters. Consequently, the water is driven into a pressure vessel holding cation exchange resin beads.

As the water passes through the resin beads, the held cations are attracted by the anionic functional groups of the cation exchange resin. Non-pollutant cations (H+ or Na+) held by the cation resin beads are subsequently released and they end up replacing the displaced pollutant cations. For instance, hardness ions like Calcium (Ca2+) and Magnesium (Mg2+) are substituted for Na+ ions. It is imperative to maintain electrical balance in the water hence every divalent ion is replaced by 2 H+ or Na+ ions.

Similarly, a monovalent ion like K+ is substituted by a single non-pollutant ion e.g. H+. Cation exchange resins designed for deionization, substitute the pollutant cations with H+ ions. However, the resulting water is passed through an anion exchange resin to expel pollutant anions. Once the resin loses its exchange capacity, regeneration is initiated to replenish the exhausted resin beds. Underneath is an animation video illustrating how a cation exchange water softener functions.

➣Are There Different Types of Cation Exchange Resins?

Yes. Presently, there are varied water purification applications with distinct purification needs. As such, different types of cation exchange resins are needed to help the diverse enterprises attain their desired grade of water. Typically, cation exchange resins are divided into two; strong acid cation (SAC) resins and weak acid cation (WAC) resins.

●      Strong Acid Cation (SAC) Resins.

Strong acid cation resins are made of sulfonic acid functional groups held in a styrene frame. They are bead-like polymers often regenerated using sulphuric or hydrochloric acid. SAC resins are primarily utilized in water softening applications, split-stream dealkalization, and partial demineralization. Furthermore, they are used to radium and barium. Users are advised to keep their SAC resins from oxidants, manganese, and iron to avoid fouling.

●      Weak Acid Cation (WAC) Resins.

Weak acid cation resins are characterized by functional groups made of carboxylic acid. They are chiefly used in deionization, temporary hardness removal, and de-alkalization applications. WAC resins are ordinarily regenerated using hydrochloric acid or sulphuric acid. Compared to SAC resins, WAC resins are more tolerant to oxidants hence they are often used to treat feed water with hydrogen peroxide or other oxidants.

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➣Which Regenerants Are Used to Regenerate Cation Exchange Resins?

The pollutant ions extracted from the feed water accumulate on the cation exchange resins consequently rendering them inactive. This is because they lead to the exhaustion of the resin beads and loss of exchange capacity. To restore the resin’s optimal exchange capacity, regeneration is necessitated. Regeneration is a multi-stage restoration process that replenishes exhausted resins.

Cation exchange resins are generally regenerated using hydrochloric or sulphuric acids. The administered regenerant dislodges all pollutant ions seized by the cation exchange resin. Subsequently, non-pollutant ions are recharged into the exhausted resins to restore their exchange or softening capacity. In most instances, the regeneration solution contains 4-6% hydrochloric acid.

Regeneration is a multi-stage process and it is often undertaken in the following steps; backwash, regenerant injection, slow rinse, and fast rinse. In the backwashing step, clean water is flushed through the resins to dislodge trapped solids, colloids, and dust particles. This stage is then followed by regenerant injection whereby hydrochloric or sulphuric acid is injected into the resin.

Regenerant injection is typically undertaken at a controlled flow rate to permit optimum contact. After, the displacement process is initiated. This is also referred to as the slow rinse process. Slow rinsing displaces the remnants of the regenerant by flushing clean water across the resin slowly. Finally, the fast rinse process is undertaken to dislodge all eluted ions and restore the resin’s optimal state. This is how ion exchange resin regeneration is normally undertaken.

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➣Which Pollutants Are Extracted by Cation Exchange Resins?

Ion exchange water treatment systems are essentially designed to eliminate ionized contaminants from water. This is typically accomplished using cation exchange resins and anion exchange resins. Cation exchange resins, in particular, are used to eliminate positively charged elements. They remove these ionic pollutants by substituting them with hydrogen (H+) ions in deionization systems and sodium (Na+) ions in water softener systems.

Cation exchange water softeners essentially remove calcium and magnesium by exchanging them with sodium or potassium ions. In deionizer systems, cation exchange resins eradicate cationic pollutants like iron (Fe2+), magnesium (Mg2+), and sodium (Na+) by replacing them with hydrogen (H+) ions.

In addition, they extract radium and barium from water. The removal range of cation exchange resins is however limited to cationic pollutants only. Applications reliant on deionized water are therefore forced to accompany cation exchange resins with anion exchange resins. The anionic resin removes negatively charged pollutants e.g. chloride (Cl-), nitrate (NO3-), and bicarbonate (BCO3-).

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➣Can You Integrate Cation and Anion Exchange Resins?

Yes. Water applications that necessitate deionized or demineralized water rely on water deionizer systems comprising cation and anion exchange resins. These distinct resins can be deployed are either integrated to create a single resin for instance, in mixed-bed ion exchangers, or housed in separate pressure vessels like in dual-bed ion exchangers.

Two-bed ion exchangers have two separate pressure vessels. The cation exchange resin is typically accommodated in the first pressure vessel while the second vessel holds the anion exchange resin. The raw water is first stripped of pollutant cations before being introduced into the adjacent pressure vessel for anionic pollutants removal.

Mixed-bed deionizers, on the contrary, have one pressure vessel. The anion and cation exchange resins are conjoined in the same pressure vessel hence the removal of anions and cations occurs simultaneously in a single vessel. We manufacture integrated and standalone cation and anion exchange resin filters. Contact us today for more information or order placement.

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➣Which Factors Can Affect the Operation of Cation Exchange Resins?

The functional prowess of cation exchange resins or lack of is primarily determined by a number of factors. Underneath, we will be discussing the main factors that impact how well or badly a cation exchange resin functions.

●      Temperature.

Temperature directly impacts the velocity of the feed water. This consequently influences the service flow rate of the resins. Typically, an increase in temperature tends to increase the flow rate while temperature drop slows the flow rate. However, strong acid cation resins are tolerant to high pressure ranges hence only weak acid cation resins are impacted by temperature fluctuations.

●      Water hardness level.

Water hardness level depicts the concentration of calcium and magnesium minerals in the water. Ion exchange water softeners are mainly used to soften hard water and they primarily rely on cation exchange resins. Resins treating extremely hard water are more prone to premature fouling than resins treating moderately or slightly hard water.

●      pH.

pH generally depicts how acidic or basic a solution is. The pH of the feed water impacts greatly the functioning of ion exchange resins. High pH often translates into an upsurge of the sorbent’s surface negative charges. This consequently elevates the electrostatic magnetism between cations and the anionic sorbent. Lower pH on the other hand shrinks the presence of H+ ions thereby deteriorating the elimination levels of ionic pollutants.

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