KR100446444B1 - Regenerating Agents and Methods for Regenerating Ion-Exchange Resin in Soft Water Generator - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a novel regeneration agent and a regeneration method used for regeneration of water-exchanging ion exchange resin, and more particularly to an ion-exchange resin regener for water softener containing NaCl having a powder form rather than a bulk and a regeneration method using the same. In the present invention, the regenerant of the present invention not only enables the production of a regeneration solution containing a high concentration of NaCl, but also effectively removes other contaminants in addition to the hardness component to improve the regeneration efficiency of the ion exchange resin, The regeneration method not only significantly improves the regeneration efficiency of the ion exchange resin, but also enables regeneration in a very short time.

Description

Regenerating Agents and Methods for Regenerating Ion-Exchange Resin in Soft Water Generator

The present invention relates to a novel regeneration agent and a regeneration method used for regeneration of an ion exchange resin for a softener.

In general, the water softener is a device that can remove the skin waste during bathing and washing by improving the water quality of the inflow water by the soft water inflow of raw water, such as tap water by ion exchange.

On the other hand, the water softener needs to regenerate the ion exchange resin when used for a certain period of time. In the related art, the tank cap is opened, the salt is injected into the tank, and the regeneration is performed by the manual regeneration method of mixing and shaking to react well with the ion exchange resin. have. That is, the conventional method was a method in which salt particles are directly added to a water softener and used. This method has a problem that the regeneration work of the ion exchange resin is inconvenient and the regeneration effect of the ion exchange resin is not high.

Various studies have been attempted to solve the problems of the conventional regeneration method, and Korean Patent Application No. 1997-14079 is a water softener manufactured to measure the hardness of cold water or hot water that has passed through an ion exchange resin and automatically perform the regeneration process accordingly. The present invention discloses a utility model registration application No. 2001-30170 discloses a water softener that can be easily regenerated by adding a salt container separately provided to a conventional water softener. In addition, Utility Model Registration Nos. 1993-26563 and 2001-9284 also disclose water softeners that can be easily recycled.

As described above, in order to improve the regeneration of the ion exchange resin, the prior arts have mainly studied the regeneration apparatus, and there is almost no direct study on the regeneration agent used in the regeneration.

Throughout this specification, numerous patent documents are referenced and their citations are indicated. The disclosures of the cited patents are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety, so that the level of the technical field to which the present invention belongs and the contents of the present invention are more clearly explained.

The present inventors have made diligent research efforts to improve the regeneration process performed in the water softener, and as a result, the regeneration process can be made more efficiently and conveniently when using a reprocessing agent that has been suitably processed and / or supplemented with auxiliary components. By confirming that the present invention was completed, the present invention was completed.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an ion exchange resin regenerator for a softener comprising NaCl having a powder form.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for producing NaCl having a powder form.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a method for regenerating an ion exchange resin for a softener.

1 is a graph showing the regeneration efficiency by the regenerant and the regeneration method of the present invention.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the present invention provides an ion exchange resin regenerator for a softener comprising NaCl having a powder form that is not bulk.

As used herein, the term "blocked NaCl" means a purified salt having a particle size of 0.01-0.1 mm and NaCl (flower salt) having a size larger than that, and the term "NaCl on powder" has a particle size of 10 μm. Hereinafter, it means NaCl which is preferably 5 µm or less, more preferably 3 µm or less, most preferably 1 µm or less.

The present inventors have found a novel fact that the conversion efficiency and convenience are greatly increased when the commonly used bulk NaCl is converted into powdery NaCl through a suitable processing process and used as a regenerant of an ion exchange resin.

According to a preferred embodiment of the regenerant of the invention, the regenerant of the invention further comprises a chelating agent. Conventional regenerants consist only of NaCl components and are intended to remove only the hardness components (eg calcium and magnesium) bound to the ion exchange resin. Therefore, in the case of using a conventional regenerant, other heavy metal contaminants (eg, iron and manganese) bound to the ion exchange resin are not removed, and the regeneration efficiency is reduced, and softening is carried out using the ion exchange resin. If there is a problem that the soft water production efficiency is greatly reduced. The present inventors have made various attempts to solve the problems of the prior art, and finally, when the chelating agent is additionally included in the regeneration agent mainly containing NaCl, it was confirmed that the above problems of the prior art are largely overcome. That is, after soft water production, contaminants such as iron and metal ions bound to the ion exchange resin are removed by the chelating agent, thereby achieving a synergic increase in regeneration efficiency.

The chelating agent can be applied to all commonly known chelating agents, preferably ethylene diaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), (ethylenedioxy) diethylenedinitrilotetraacetic acid (EGTA), ethylene diamine, ammonium N-nitro Sophenylhydroxylamine, nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA), sodium diethyldithiocarbamate, triethylenetetraamine and edetate. According to a more preferred embodiment of the invention, the chelating agent is edetate and the edetate is in the form of various salts, e.g. edetate sodium, edetate disodium or edetate trisodium. According to the most preferred embodiment of the present invention, the edetate is edetate sodium.

In the regenerant of the present invention, the content of the chelating agent is 0.5-2% by weight, preferably 0.8-1.5% by weight, most preferably 1% by weight. When the content of the chelating agent is less than 0.5% by weight, the effect is very insignificant, and when the content of the chelating agent is greater than 2% by weight, the production cost is greatly increased compared to the regeneration efficiency, which is not preferable in terms of economics.

The regenerant of the present invention not only enables the production of a regeneration solution containing a high concentration of NaCl, but also effectively removes other contaminants in addition to the hardness component to improve the regeneration efficiency of the ion exchange resin.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the present invention comprises the steps of (a) hygroscopic removal of moisture in the bulk NaCl; (b) grinding to convert the bulk NaCl into a powder phase; (c) primary and secondary rolling the ground NaCl; And (d) provides a method for producing NaCl having a powdery phase comprising a drying step.

Through this method, powdery NaCl contained as a main component in the above-described regenerant of the present invention is prepared. One of the features of the method of the invention is the implementation of a thorough moisture proof process. When exposed to moisture, NaCl solidifies to absorb moisture and form agglomerates. When using powder with such agglomerates, the effect to be achieved in the present invention does not occur.

Moisture proof in the process of the invention takes place in the moisture absorption step and the drying step. The hygroscopic step in the process of the invention is achieved by heating (about 80 ° C.) in a completely enclosed environment.

The NaCl that has undergone the hygroscopic step is then subjected to a grinding step. Grinding is a step performed to convert the bulky NaCl having a large particle size into a certain small particle, which corresponds to the previous step for making a powder, and is preferably performed for about 2-5 minutes using a rotary grinder.

After the grinding step, NaCl is then subjected to a rolling step. Rolling step is carried out to prepare the crushed NaCl in a complete powder phase in the previous step, in the present invention is carried out divided into primary and secondary. According to a specific embodiment of the present invention, the rolling step is carried out by putting NaCl in the gap between the two rolls located up and down, and the perfect powder is produced by going through the first rolling step and the second rolling step.

The secondary rolling NaCl is then subjected to a drying step. The drying step is carried out to completely remove the moisture remaining in the powdery NaCl, it is preferably carried out at 60 ℃-80 ℃ for 90-120 minutes.

The method for producing NaCl having a powder form of the present invention described above has conditions optimized by the present inventors to minimize the water content of the powdered NaCl finally produced and to have a suitable particle size and particle size distribution. These optimized conditions were chosen by the inventors, in particular in view of the fact that powdered NaCl is used for the regeneration of the ion exchange resin.

On the other hand, the powdered NaCl which has undergone the drying step is injected into a suitable container (e.g. a plastic pack) and the inlet of the container is sealed. The powdered NaCl stored in such a suitable container is dissolved in water immediately before regeneration of the ion exchange resin to prepare a regeneration solution, and then used for regeneration of the ion exchange resin. Such regeneration may be prepared by adding water to a container with powdered NaCl (eg, a vinyl pack).

Since the powdered NaCl prepared according to the present invention has an optimum particle size and particle size distribution, the dissolution time in water is greatly shortened compared to the conventional NaCl regenerant, and completely dissolved in water as much as the solubility of pure NaCl itself. do. Therefore, the powdery NaCl prepared by the present invention is very useful for the production of a regeneration solution containing a high concentration of NaCl.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the present invention comprises the steps of (a) dissolving the NaCl regeneration agent having the above-described powder form in water to produce a regeneration solution; (b) immersing a water softener ion exchange resin in the regeneration solution to remove contaminants including calcium ions and magnesium ions bound to an ion exchange resin; (c) a method of regenerating an ion exchange resin for a softener comprising rinsing the ion exchange resin for a softener from which contaminants have been removed.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the NaCl concentration of the regeneration solution is 20-40%, more preferably 31-35%. When the concentration of NaCl in the regeneration solution is less than 20%, there is a problem that the regeneration period takes a long time, and the NaCl regeneration solution of 40% or more has a problem that its manufacture is difficult considering the solubility of NaCl itself. This high concentration of NaCl regeneration solution can maintain a constant concentration of the regeneration solution during the regeneration process to increase the regeneration efficiency to the highest, the volume can be minimized, and the regeneration time also has the advantage of minimizing the regeneration time.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the step of removing the contaminants by immersing the ion exchange resin in the regeneration solution is performed by immersing (impregnating) the ion exchange resin in a state in which the regeneration solution is left without the flow of the regeneration solution. . As used herein, the term "precipitating regeneration method" means impregnating a regeneration liquid by impregnating an ion exchange resin to be regenerated as described above. Such sedimentation is typically carried out for 1-5 minutes, up to about 2 minutes, through which the contaminants bound to the ion exchange resin (hard components: calcium and magnesium, other heavy metal contaminants: iron and manganese) This is almost completely removed.

In the step of immersing the ion exchange resin for the softener in the regeneration solution, the supply of the regeneration solution is generally provided to an ion resin column mounted in the water softener. In this case, the drain port through which the drainage of the regeneration solution is drained is blocked by a suitable means, and the regeneration solution is supplied. The supply of such regeneration liquid is preferably carried out in the lower mode. The supply of the regeneration solution is stopped while the ion exchange resin is sufficiently immersed in the regeneration solution, and it is settled for a predetermined time so that contaminants including the hardness component bound to the ion exchange resin are removed.

Following the tacking step, the regeneration solution is drained, preferably in the same direction as the regeneration solution injection direction. Therefore, more preferably, the regeneration solution is performed by a bottom-up injecting method, and drainage is also performed by a down-draining method. In this way, when the water is drained in the same direction, the regeneration efficiency can be increased.

Following the drainage step, a rinse step is performed, which serves to discharge contaminants, including ion exchanged hardness components, out of the ion resin column. Preferably, rinse is also performed in the same direction as the drainage direction. Therefore, more preferably, the drainage is performed by a top-down drainage method, and the rinse is also performed by a top-down rinse method, and most preferably, all of the supply, drainage, and rinsing of the regeneration solution are performed top-down. Since the hardness component which has been exchanged and separated from the ion exchange resin must be quickly removed to the outside of the column, it is preferable to rinse in the same manner as the drainage direction at the maximum flow rate. The time sufficient to discharge the hardness component out of the column is about 5 minutes at normal flow rate (about 7 L / min), but the time may vary depending on the flow rate. Thus, when rinsing in the same direction, regeneration efficiency can be raised.

According to the regeneration method of the present invention, not only can the regeneration efficiency be increased by 25-75% compared with the conventional method, but also regeneration can be performed in a very short time. The conventional regeneration process typically takes about 2-5 hours, but in the case of following the method of the present invention, the regeneration process can be completed within a maximum of 15 minutes.

The water softener to which the regeneration agent and the regeneration method of the present invention can be applied is, for example, the applicant's patent applications 2001-36683, 2001-36682, 2001-36681, 2002-2962, 2002- 2961 and 2001-36678, which patent documents are incorporated herein by reference.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to Examples. These examples are only for illustrating the present invention in more detail, it is to those skilled in the art that the scope of the present invention is not limited by these examples in accordance with the gist of the present invention. Will be self-evident.

Example 1 Preparation of Regenerant of the Invention

In order to prepare the regenerant of the present invention, first, moisture was removed by heating at 80 ° C. for at least about 1 hour in order to remove moisture from the mass of 1000 g of NaCl. The hygroscopic NaCl was then ground for about 2-5 minutes using a sawtooth grinder. Then, the ground NaCl was passed between two rolls to undergo a first rolling process, followed by a second rolling in the same manner. The secondary rolled NaCl powder was finally dried at 80 ° C. for 100 minutes.

Subsequently, 10 g of the chelating agent edetate sodium (steel regenerative agent) was added to 1000 g of the finally processed NaCl powder to finally prepare the regenerating agent of the present invention, and then sealed in a plastic pack.

The particle size (particle size) of the finally processed NaCl powder was about 1 μm.

Example 2: Regeneration of Ion Exchange Resin by Regenerant of the Present Invention

The regeneration efficiency of the ion exchange resins was determined by measuring the respective soft water production efficiencies for four groups with different regenerants and / or regeneration methods as follows: (a) Powdered NaCl regenerant additionally comprising the chelating agent edetate sodium The regeneration solution had 31% NaCl, and was used in the needle regeneration method. (b) a group using a powdered NaCl regenerant without chelating agent, the regeneration solution having 31% NaCl, using the needle regeneration method; (c) a group using a powdered NaCl regenerant without chelating agent, the regeneration solution having 10% NaCl, using a conventional regeneration method (regeneration method with flow of regeneration solution); And (d) a group using a conventional bulk NaCl regenerant without chelating agent, the regeneration solution having 10% NaCl, and using a conventional regeneration method (regeneration method with a flow of regeneration solution).

Experimental conditions were the raw water hardness was 100 ppm CaCO ₃ , the flow rate of the water was 7 L / min, the raw water temperature was room temperature, and the needle regeneration method was carried out by the top-down supply, drainage and rinse of the regeneration solution. The regeneration solution injection rate was about 1.2 L / min, and the rinse rate was performed to be equal to the water flow rate.

Experimental results are shown in FIG.

As shown in Figure 1, it can be seen that the (a) group using the powdered NaCl regeneration agent additionally including the chelating agent edetate sodium and using the needle regeneration method shows the best regeneration efficiency. In addition, group (b), which does not contain a chelating agent but also uses the needle regeneration method of the present invention, also showed excellent regeneration efficiency. On the other hand, the group (c) using powdered NaCl regenerant without chelating agent and using a conventional regeneration method (regeneration method with a flow of regeneration solution) has a drastically reduced regeneration compared to the (a) and (b) groups. Efficiency was shown. Therefore, it can be seen that the needle regeneration method is a very important factor for the improvement of the regeneration of the ion exchange resin. Groups using conventional bulk NaCl regenerators without chelating agents, and using conventional regeneration methods, exhibited the worst regeneration efficiency drastically reduced relative to other groups.

The present invention provides an ion exchange resin regenerator for a softener comprising NaCl having a powder phase, and the present invention also provides a method for producing NaCl having the powder phase. On the other hand, the present invention provides a method for regenerating an ion exchange resin for a softener. The regenerant of the present invention not only enables the production of a regeneration solution containing a high concentration of NaCl, but also effectively removes other contaminants in addition to the hardness component to improve the regeneration efficiency of the ion exchange resin. Not only can the regeneration efficiency of the ion exchange resin be greatly increased, but the regeneration can be performed within a very short time.

Claims (15)

An ion exchange resin regenerator for a softener comprising NaCl having a powder form that is not bulk. The ion exchange resin regenerator for water softener according to claim 1, wherein the regenerant further comprises a chelating agent. The method of claim 2, wherein the chelating agent is ethylene diaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), (ethylenedioxy) diethylenedinitrilotetraacetic acid (EGTA), ethylene diamine, ammonium N-nitrosophenylhydroxylamine, nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA), sodium diethyldithiocarbamate, triethylenetetraamine and edetate. The ion exchange resin regenerator for a softener according to claim 3, wherein the chelating agent is edetate. The ion exchange resin regenerator for a water softener according to claim 4, wherein the edetate is edetate sodium, edetate disodium, or edetate trisodium. 6. The ion exchange resin regenerator for a softener according to claim 5, wherein the edetate is edetate sodium. Method for preparing NaCl having a powdery phase comprising the following steps: (a) hygroscopic removal of moisture in the mass of NaCl; (b) grinding the bulk NaCl particles to convert them into powder; (c) primary and secondary rolling the ground NaCl; And (d) drying step. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of absorbing moisture is performed by applying heat at 70-90 ° C. for 40 minutes-70 minutes. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the grinding step is carried out using a sawtooth grinder for 2-5 minutes. The method of claim 7, wherein the first rolling and the second rolling are performed by passing NaCl ground between two upper and lower rolls. The method of claim 7, wherein the drying step is performed by applying heat at 60 ° C.-80 ° C. for 90-120 minutes. A method of regenerating an ion exchange resin for a softener comprising the following steps: (A) dissolving a NaCl regenerant having a powder form of any one of claims 1 to 6 in water to produce a regeneration solution; (b) immersing a water softener ion exchange resin in the regeneration solution to remove contaminants including calcium ions and magnesium ions bound to an ion exchange resin; (c) Rinse the ion exchange resin for the softener from which the contaminants have been removed. The method for regenerating an ion exchange resin for a softener according to claim 12, wherein the NaCl concentration of the regeneration solution is 20-40%. The method of regenerating an ion exchange resin for a softener according to claim 13, wherein the NaCl concentration of the regeneration solution is 31-35%. 15. The method of claim 13, wherein in the step of removing the contaminants, the ion exchange resin is immersed in the NaCl regeneration solution for 1-5 minutes.