Chlorine affecting regen beads
Chlorine affecting regen beads
(OP)
Our water treatment people tell us that the chlorine in our city water that supplys our demins (cation, anion units) is killing our newly installed beads. What will chlorine do to these beads? Beth





RE: Chlorine affecting regen beads
After particulate filtration, use a filter material such as activated carbon to catch the chlorine.
Most RO membranes also require chlorine removal.
RE: Chlorine affecting regen beads
RE: Chlorine affecting regen beads
It is better if you change activated carbon after every 5 years. Charcoal pores clog over a period of time and steaming the bed is one method to open up the pores.
RE: Chlorine affecting regen beads
Carbon has close to an unlimited capacity for chlorine so it is doubtful that your resin is affected.
Chlorine at the dosages expected will damage the anion resins, not the cation resins.
As Quark pointed out, you must periodically replace the carbon. Otherwise, you take the risk that the carbon will do more harm than good. As an example, microrganisms may grow in carbon and contaminate downstream processes.
RE: Chlorine affecting regen beads
Even that will damage the ion exchange resin, but even more so if higher thant that. 1 ppm of chlorine to the ion exchange resin will reduce the resin life by one half. That is for each 1 ppm. Every 1 ppm over 1 ppm will reduce the resin life by another one half.
Gary Schreiber, CWS VI
The Purolite Co.
RE: Chlorine affecting regen beads
The minimum recommended chlorine residual in potable water should be at least 0.2 mg/l. At that concentration, the chlorine is probably not going to effect the standard gel type cation resin, but will harm the anion resin as the anion resin is more sensitive to damage. Without knowing the actual chlorine dosage that you have, it is not possible to provide a definitive answer to your question.
Here is a detailed bulletin that may be of assistance to you:
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However, if you have a functioning carbon filter preceeding the demineralizer, you do not have to worry about chlorine damage to the resin.