INDUSTRIAL WATER
TREATMENT
Natural water contains many contaminants which have to be removed to make it usable in different applications:
- Softening
- Demineralization
- Mixed bed polishing
INDUSTRIAL WATER TREATMENT
Softening, Demineralization, Mixed bed polishing
Natural water contains many contaminants which have to be removed to make it usable in different applications. Contaminants can be of natural origin or pollutants from human activity.
Ion exchange resins, adsorbents and chelating resins can be used to remove some of the contaminants, particularly if they are ionic or larger organic molecules. Solids, colloids, and some large organic molecules can be trapped by filtration media.
Softening (removal of hardness)
Hard or alkaline water can lead to insoluble precipitation of Ca2+ and Mg2+ when heated. To avoid such precipitates the divalent ions Ca2+ and Mg2+ are usually exchanged for the monovalent ions Na+. Typically, strongly acidic cation exchange resins are used and regenerated with brine, usually a 10% diluted sodium chloride solution.
Water softening is used for low-pressure boilers, domestic water boilers, industrial cleaning and many more industries.
GRADES OF RESINS
FOR INDUSTRIAL WATER TREATMENT
CHEMRA offers different grades of resins for best performance and cost saving in softening units:
| Trademark |
Type
|
Capacity
(eq/L) |
Uniformity
Coefficient | Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Industrial softening |
TREVERLITE IXC100/Na |
SAC
|
≥ 1.9
|
≤ 1.6
|
Standard softening (available in uniform particle size) |
| TREVERLITE IXC120/Na |
SAC
|
≥ 2.0
|
≤ 1.6
|
High performance resin for softening (available in uniform particle size) |
|
| TREVERJET IXC1200/Na |
SAC
|
≥ 2.0
|
≤ 1.2
|
High performance and uniform resin for softening, all type of systems |
|
|
Household, |
TREVERLITE IXC110/Na |
SAC
|
≥ 2.0
|
≤ 1.6
|
High performance resin for softening, co-current systems |
| TREVERLITE IXC110/Ag |
SAC
|
≥ 2.0
|
≤ 1.6
|
High performance resin for softening with impregnated silver to prevent bacteriological contamination |
|
| TREVERLITE IXC110/UN/Na |
SAC
|
≥ 2.0
|
≤ 1.4
|
High performance uniform resin for softening, counter-current systems |
|
| TREVERJET IXC1110/Na |
SAC
|
≥ 2.0
|
≤ 1.2
|
High performance and high uniform resin for softening, all type of systems |
|
| TREVERJET IXC1310/Na |
SAC
|
≥ 2.2
|
≤ 1.2
|
Ultra high performance resin, fine and uniform particle size for salt saving |
PFAS
Regulations on industrial PFAS waste effluent will soon be implemented to reduce environmental dispersion. A French law mandates progressive PFAS reduction in discharges, targeting elimination by 2031. Ion exchange (IX) resins are cost-effective for PFAS removal, with regenerable IX resins reducing costs. Chemra offers support for optimal disposal.
PFAS
It is anticipated that regulating industrial PFAS waste effluent will soon be implemented in most advanced countries to reduce their dispersion in the environment and contamination of large areas. For example, a new law was adopted by the French National Assembly on February 20, 2025, for the progressive reduction of PFAS presence in the aqueous discharges of industrial installations until their total elimination within five years from the promulgation of the law coming into effect starting January 1, 2026.
The PFAS concentrations in these industrial applications typically range from µg/liter (ppb) to mg/liter (ppm) levels, and the target after treatment should not exceed a few ng/liter (ppt), if not below the detection limit. The selection of PFAS treatment technologies often depends on PFAS concentrations in the source waters.
Performance data demonstrate that Ion exchange (IX) resins could potentially cover the whole spectrum of PFAS removal wastewater applications. The use of IX resins is considered one of the most cost-effective technologies for PFAS treatment. Low PFAS-containing wastewaters are ideally treated by single-use selective resins, while wastewaters containing larger amounts of PFAS and/or other competitive anions such as sulfate, can consider regenerable resins.
Such regenerable IX resin can be regenerated after their adsorption capacity has been exceeded. The regenerable IX resin can be used for a large number of adsorption/regeneration cycles, reducing the global cost of this technology compared with others that require external and costly regeneration. Following the regeneration process, the removed PFAS are present in high concentrations in the liquid regenerate, which has to be further treated to mineralize the pollutants. Chemra’s support team can help design and optimize the volume to be disposed of.
