RESIN REGENERATION FUNDAMENTALS

Regeneration procedures and guidelines for softeners and two-bed deionizers

Updated 10/28/19

The basic purpose of resin regeneration is to restore the exhausted resin back to its proper ionic
form for service. Although there are various manuals and sources that contain information on
how to regenerate resins, for many, guessing plays a major role in this process. To eliminate the
guess factor from the resin regeneration equation, this article will provide an overview of the
basic regeneration procedures and guidelines for softeners and two-bed deionizers.

Softeners
The end of a softener service cycle is determined either by a timed service run, total gallon
throughput, or a high measure of hardness in the softener effluent. A four-step regeneration
sequence is then performed.

1. Backwash Cycle. The backwash cycle expands the resin bed from its settled and packed
condition, and cleans the resin by flushing out any suspended solids that may have been filtered
during the service run. Resin particles can act as effective filter media because they have ionic
charges, which can coagulate fine particles. During the backwash, the resin beads rub against
each other, and this scrubbing action helps clean accumulated dirt or iron from the surface of the
beads. The backwash flow also removes any broken resin particles or resin fines. In addition, the
backwash cycle classifies the bed with the larger resin beads on the bottom and the finer resins
on top. This provides the best conditions for a good uniform flow of brine, rinse and service.

It is desirable to expand the softener resin bed about 50% and to have the duration of the
backwash cycle long enough to effectively remove all of the resin fines and other suspended
solids. At ambient temperatures (about 60°F), using standard softening cation resin and a flow
rate of 6 gpm per square foot of surface area for a duration of 10 to 15 minutes is sufficient. It is
very important to consult manufacturers’ literature for the specific resin being regenerated to find
the correct backwash flow rate. The backwash flow rate is dependent on temperature; cooler
water expands the bed more than warmer water.

2. Brine Introduction. Sodium chloride is used as the regenerant chemical for converting

exhausted softener resin back to the sodium form. The resin exchanges the collected hardness
on the bead with the sodium ion present in the sodium chloride. It is applied to the bed at a
concentration of 8 to 12%; usually, 10% is the norm. A contact time of 30 minutes is desirable.
The total contact time is calculated from the time the brine is introduced to the bed until it is
displaced from the bed during the slow rinse. Salt dosage range is 6 to 15 lb per cubic foot.

3. Slow Rinse. The slow rinse or displacement step removes from the bed the volume of brine
regenerant that is still in the vessel. This is the most pure brine that the resin will come into
contact with, so it is important not to flush it out too quickly. During the slow rinse cycle, the valve
from the concentrated brine is shut, and only the dilution water is introduced to the bed at the
dilution water flow rate. It helps if the dilution water and the slow rinse water are from a softened
water supply.

4. Fast Rinse. The final step is a fast rinse, and it is performed at the service flow rate. The fast
rinse step removes any residual brine from the resin beads and helps flush out any brine that
may be present in dead areas of the tank. The minimum recommended flow rate is 1 to 1.5 gpm
per cubic foot.

Two-Bed Deionizers
The regeneration of cation and anion exchange resins used in deionizers is a more complicated
process than simple softening. The process includes the use of strong acid and caustic. It is
important to observe the appropriate safety considerations for handling these chemicals and the
resultant waste products.

A strong acid cation unit exchanges calcium, magnesium and sodium, etc., with its active ions,
hydrogen. The strong base anion unit in a two-bed deionizer exchanges sulfate, chloride,
alkalinity and silica ions with hydroxide. This slowly reduces the concentration of available active
ions. The resin is considered exhausted when the active ion concentration reaches a low level,
and effluent has a pre-selected high leakage of unexchanged ions, known as endpoint leakage.
This leakage is usually indicated by a conductivity setpoint.
1. Backwash. During the service cycle, the resin bed collects suspended impurities from water.
Some of the media particles/beads can break up into fines, and the bed becomes somewhat
compacted. Introducing water at calculated flow rates in the opposite direction to the service flow
lifts the bed, which loosens up and expands into the free board. This forces the suspended
particles and media fines out of the unit. At the same time, the bed loses its compaction,
reducing the likelihood of channeling, which could cause water or regenerant chemicals to
bypass some of the effective media bed. Compaction and fines also cause excessive pressure
drop.

Water of the same quality as the influent is introduced from the bottom of the vessel, collected at
the top and then directed to the drain. Proper backwash rate is of great importance since rates
higher than suggested may cause media loss, and lower rates may not be sufficient to complete
the backwash properly. Any sudden shock in the backwash cycle should be avoided, as this may
cause media loss.

Consult the resin specification sheets for the proper backwash flow rate because cation and
anion resin densities are quite different. Generally, cation backwash flow rates are in the range of
6 gpm per square foot of surface area, and the anion backwash flow rate is about half of that.

2. Regenerant Introduction. Regenerants of proper concentration are introduced into the tanks

to reactivate the resin. The strength of dilute regenerant and its flow rate are of utmost
importance. Any change in these values compared to the ones specifically suggested may cause
resin fouling, capacity loss and quality deterioration. In some cases, the regenerant has to be
heated to a specific temperature to complete a proper elution. (Elution is the stripping off of
exchanged ions.)

Acid application to cation resin. The strong acid cation exchanger resin is regenerated with
sulphuric or hydrochloric acid, which effectively strips off the calcium, magnesium and sodium
from the resin, substituting hydrogen. Hydrochloric acid is typically applied at between 4 and 6%.

If dilute sulfuric acid is used, the percent concentration is often applied in a stepwise fashion; for
instance, the first half of the dosage is applied at 2% and the second half at 4%. The exact
concentration of sulfuric used is calculated from the amount of calcium that is present in the
water being treated during the service cycle. Because the resin is removing and concentrating
calcium ions, a potential for the precipitation of calcium sulfate exists when the sulfuric acid is
applied.

The contact time for the acid regenerant introduction should be around 30 minutes, and the flow
rate should be about 0.5 to 1 gpm per cubic foot. (When using sulfuric acid, it is wise to design
around the high end of the recommended regenerant flow rate.)
Caustic application to anion resin. Caustic soda, or sodium hydroxide (NaOH), is used to
regenerate the anion resin. A concentration of 4% is applied at a flow rate between 0.25 and 0.5
gpm per cubic foot. A contact time of 45 minutes minimum, 60 minutes preferred, is required.

The anion resin exchanges off the collected anions for the hydroxide (OH) ion in the caustic. Any
collected silica needs to be re-dissolved off of the resin, and this is facilitated by time and
temperature. That is why the 60-minute contact time is indicated. Also, it is important to elevate
the temperature of the dilute caustic to 120°F for type 1 anion resins (95°F max for type 2).

3. Displacement (Slow) Rinse. The process of displacement of regenerants and the eluted ions
from the resin is started at a slow pace, normally at the same flow rate at which the dilute
regenerant was introduced.

4. Fast Rinse. After the slow rinse, the resin is rinsed further at a higher flow rate. Rinsing
removes the excess regenerant from the resin. At the same time, all of the eluted ions are
displaced from the resin bed, bringing the resin back to active condition, ready to be put into
service.

There are various factors that can affect the outcome of resin regeneration. Hopefully, this article
will eliminate guesswork and help you better understand the overall regeneration process.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Frank DeSilva is national sales manager for ResinTech, Inc., West Berlin, N.J. He has been in
the water treatment industry for more than 20 years. He can be reached at 760.809.4864, or by
e-mail at fdesilva@resintech.com.