Groundwater remediation processIon exchanger
Groundwater remediation using the ion exchanger process is frequently used when industrial companies that have worked with water-polluting substances are shut down and contaminated sites are discovered on the property. A common option for remediating contaminated sites or groundwater is the selective exchanger method. Depending on the load (e.g. CHCs, heavy metals such as nickel, copper, tin, chromium, PFT/PFC/PFAS), activated carbon, weakly acidic cation exchangers, such as selective exchangers, and possibly also strongly basic anion exchangers may be used as ion exchangers, which may not be regenerated or not regenerated in a meaningful way due to the load. In these cases, it is a one-way process that leads to the discarding of the materials when the capacity of the ion exchanger system is fully loaded, so-called resin exchange. The ion exchangers used are regularly conditioned before use (e.g. to remove the odour from the anion exchanger and convert it into a ready-to-use form) and regenerated externally as an ion exchanger service at the end of their capacity, i.e. after loading, they are chemically reprocessed in a central regeneration system for ion exchangers. The time of regeneration is determined analytically, i.e. as part of on-site monitoring of the system.
Regular laboratory testing is required for groundwater remediation. In addition, groundwater is subject to fluctuations depending on the seasons and water input in the form of rain and local conditions (e.g. agriculture), which can affect the binding behavior and capacities of ion exchanger systems. Due to the unpredictable composition, it is therefore not possible to make any conclusive statements about the reliability of the process and the service life of the system, in the end experience and continuous monitoring of such systems remain.
The groundwater in the inlet must also be free of particles and as free as possible of organic compounds and oils so that no (partial) inactivation of the resin takes place, which would have a negative effect on the service life. The ion exchanger system for groundwater remediation must also be protected from the weather, frost-free and, if possible, not exposed to direct UV radiation. The outside temperature should not exceed 40°C.
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