Practical Ion Exchange Strategies For PFAS Treatment

As PFAS contaminants continue to reshape water treatment priorities, utilities, engineers, and treatment professionals are being asked to make high-stakes technology decisions with rapidly evolving information. Ion exchange offers a proven, high-performance option—but knowing when, where, and how to apply it is essential to achieving reliable results. 

This engaging session will provide practical guidance on common misconceptions. Attendees will gain a clear, field-tested understanding of how resin works, appropriate pretreatment, and how water chemistry, total organic carbon loading, and vessel design influence treatment performance. We will touch on piloting design and interpretation of that data for full-scale systems.  

Led by an ion exchange expert, the presentation will explore the questions decision-makers are asking now: What type of resin will give the greatest capacity? How do you avoid premature breakthrough? How do you pilot?  Is resin really chlorine resistant? How do you remove short-chain PFAS? Real-world case histories and performance data will bring these concepts to life and show what works in practice.  

Participants will leave with a more confident framework for evaluating ion exchange as part of a treatment strategy—whether used as a stand-alone solution or integrated with other technologies. For anyone navigating complex contaminant challenges, tightening regulatory expectations, or competing treatment claims, this session will provide practical insight that can be applied immediately to planning, piloting, design, and operations. 

Learning Objectives for Participants 

Participants will be able to: 

• Understand how ion exchange resin works and how those factors affect design and operations
• Evaluate when ion exchange is an appropriate treatment strategy for PFAS and other regulated contaminants based on water quality, contaminant profile, and treatment goals
• Identify misinformation in the market to be able to discern key factors that influence ion exchange performance