How does ion exchange soften water?
Answers
How does ion exchange soften water?
Ion exchange units that replace calcium and magnesium ions from water
are khown as water softeners .they may also remove varying amount of
other inorganic pollutants such as metals ,but they will not remove
organic chemicals pathogens,particles ,or radon gas .water softener
units work most efficiently with particulate free water.
principles of Ion Exchange to soften water. Calcium and magnesium ions
are atoms having a positive electrical charge,as do sodium and
potassium ions.Ions of the same charge can be exchanged. in the
exchange process,a granular substance (usually a resin ) that is coated
with sodium or poassium ions comes into contact with water containing
calcium and magnesium ions.two positively charged sodium or
potassium ions are exchanged (released into water) for every calcium or
magnesium ion that is held by the resin .
Ion Exchange unit components. A water softener can be as simple as a
tank to hold the exchange resin together with appropriate piping for raw
(inlet) and treated (outlet) water .modern water softeners include a
separate tank for the brine solution used to regenerate the resin ,additional valves to back wash the resin and switches for automatic operation