Deionization (DI) refers to the use of ion exchange to remove dissolved ionized salts and minerals from water. The deionization process is frequently used in water filtration and purification.
What is Deionization?
Deionization results in pure water of exceptional quality, making it ideal for water filtration in applications ranging from aquarium hydroponics to electronics and medical device manufacturing. Similar to a water softener system, a DI system grants reliable access to highly purified water on demand.
Ion exchange—the natural process that makes deionization possible—chemically eliminates virtually all traces of organic and inorganic ionized salts and minerals from water by leveraging the power of properly designed ion exchangers. Since the vast majority of non-particulate water impurities are some form of dissolved salt, the deionization process produces results similar to a distillation process.
However, deionization offers a number of distinct advantages over distillation in terms of added efficiency and value. Deionization is:
- Much faster
- Less energy-intensive
- More cost-effective
The Different Methods of Water Deionization
Although they all employ ion exchange to filter and purify water, deionization systems can be either permanent installations or portable units that are exchanged by a delivery service when required. A portable service ensures that the manufacturer won’t have to store on-site chemicals to regenerate the media, unlike a permanent system, making facility daily requirements less time-consuming.
- Separate bed deionization. This method of ion exchange uses cation and anion resins in separate vessels, treating water with each media individually in stages. Separate bed deionization is an older deionization technology often used in low-volume applications or as a pre-treatment process for high-purity applications.
- Mixed bed deionization. More expensive—but also more effective—than either counter-current deionization or co-current deionization, this method requires an exact 50/50 mixture of cation and anion resin. By placing these chemical agents in a single ion exchange column, mixed bed deionization requires highly complex regeneration processes. However, the water that it produces beats all other deionized water in terms of overall purity.
- Targeted deionization. This type of deionization involves removal of specific types of ion species. Most targeted ion exchange units are applied to remove hazardous metals from a process waste stream.
Water Deionization Options at Dayton
Dayton Water Systems can offer a variety of permanent installations or portable units. These include:
- EDM Exchange Tank System. Exchange tanks are delivered directly to your building, storage area, or machine site. The EDM exchange tank system eliminates the messy changeover and lengthy downtime associated with outmoded bag systems.
- Industrial/Commercial EPA Approved Tanks. These tanks are designed to provide zero discharge and spot-free rinse in nickel and chrome plating. Eliminates waste discharge a safe EPA-approved way.
- The Ultra Pure, 18 Meg Ohm/cm And Aseptic Safe Water System. The type of resin and our special regeneration process and control make this system unique. It provides the highest quality ultra-pure deionized water in the industry.
- Standard Mixed Bed Deionizer Exchange Tanks. This service is our standard mixed bed system for chemically pure water in the 200,000 to 15meg ohm/cm range. High quality and greater mixed bed capacity are the main features of this resin system.
- EDM Carbon Di-Decationization. A system designed for applications where a strong acid-sodium cation exchanger is needed for hardness removal or a weak acid hydrogen cation exchanger is needed for lower pH and alkalinity removal.
Deionization Solutions From Dayton Water Systems
The deionization process leads to exceptionally pure water, providing an ideal solution for a range of industrial, commercial, and home uses. Dayton Water Systems offers a full product line of deionization systems, ensuring we have a solution for virtually any water purification need. For more information about our selection of DI systems, please contact us to speak to a representative today.