Ion Exchange (IX) Systems

Ion exchange (IX) is a tried-and-true method of removing metals and other inorganic compounds from water. Arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, nickel, selenium, radionuclides, and zinc are just a few examples of the compounds that our ion exchange systems have removed from water. Ion exchange systems can also be used to remove non-metallic compounds such as ammonia, nitrate, perchlorate, and silicate.

Electrons and protons are subatomic particles. Protons form the nucleus of the atom, and electrons move around the proton. Electrons and protons are electrically charged. Protons are positively charged. The electron has an electrical charge equal to a proton’s charge but is negative. The protons attract negatively charged electrons to form atoms.

Atoms with a positive charge equal to the negative charge are said to be neutral. Sometimes, an atom will lose or gain an electron and is then in an “ionic state.” An ion is an atom or molecule that is electrically charged. Cations, having lost a negatively charged electron, are positively charged. Anions, having gained an electron, are negatively charged. Cations and anions are attracted by their opposite electrical charge. Ion exchange exploits this tendency to pull ions out of a solution. Ionic compounds from a water or solvent stream are captured on the ion exchange media (“resin”).