Demineralized Water: Understand Its Function

 

Also known as deionized water, demineralized water is known to be totally pure, free from minerals, ions and heavy metals. And although the idea of consuming totally pure water seems attractive, it is necessary to be aware that water without any minerals is useless for the body and is not even capable of quenching your thirst.

Deionized water is not good for consumption, but its usefulness is undeniable, especially in factories. The demineralization technique is an intelligent solution for the treatment of water that will be used in industrial processes and to prepare it for reuse, since the total absence of minerals prevents incrustations and corrosion on equipment and parts.

The water demineralization process by ion exchange resins is the simplest and most economical system used for water purification, and this technology has been preferred in Brazil, due to the low average salinity of Brazilian waters, the ease of operation, low cost acquisition of equipment, low operating cost and high water recovery rate, which can reach 98%.

Simply put, the liquid that is placed in the demineralizer passes through some columns that contain cationic resin and anionic resin. At this moment, the ion exchange takes place, enabling the demineralization process.

Ion Exchange Processes

This process is composed of cationic, anionic and mixed beds. Where in the first two, 99.5% of the salts are eliminated and the residual can only be extracted through the mixed bed.

It is a treatment that works to remove ions dissolved in water, such as magnesium, chloride, silica and calcium. This system uses ion exchange resins — small plastic spheres that have surfaces bonded to the ions used in the exchange.

The ideal is for the water to pass through one or more beds until they are loaded with ions and through a chemical process, demineralize the water.

In addition to the cationic filter and the anionic filter, the demineralizer also has a pressurization system, a zeolite filter that will retain solids, a charcoal filter and an electrical conductivity meter.

What To Take Into Account When Buying

When purchasing a deionizer system, it is important to make sure that it perfectly meets your needs. For this, knowing the main technical requirements will make all the difference in the result in terms of efficiency and economy. Below we list some of the main issues to be observed:

1. Flow
In a way, the flow of a demineralizer system is directly related to its useful life. The greater the volume of liters filtered per minute, the shorter the life of the filter element.
On the other hand, if a system has a lot of throughput but saves on filter media, it is subject to premature saturation. This affects water quality, increases the frequency of regeneration, shortens the life of the resins and increases your maintenance costs.

2. Type of Bed
The mixed bed system, in which the demineralization takes place in the same column, is cheaper, but wears out more quickly, increasing maintenance costs. The separate bed, in which anions and cations are treated separately, requires less maintenance and the system is simpler, and can even be carried out by non-specialized personnel.

3. Manual or Automatic System
The manual system is cheaper, obviously. The automatic system uses pre-programmed digital control valves for automated regeneration of anionic and cationic resins. It is worth analyzing whether the convenience and labor savings generated in the medium and long term are worth the investment.

4. Microbiological Control
Many systems offer options for all needs, but fail to provide microbiological control of doubtful efficiency. This can put the entire project at risk. Therefore, it is necessary to be aware of this aspect in a special way. If the solution offered is made-to-measure and even then it is much cheaper than the others, be suspicious.

Source Link: https://www.filterforfridge.com/