Acid regeneration of ion exchange resins for industrial applications

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9919935-B2
Application number	US-201615179496-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 10, 2016
Priority date	Dec 13, 2011
Publication date	Mar 20, 2018
Grant date	Mar 20, 2018

Abstract

Methods and systems for employing softened acidified water sources from an acid regenerated ion exchange resins are disclosed. Various methods of dispensing and/or using the softened acidic water generated by an acid regenerate-able ion exchange resin are disclosed to beneficially reduce spotting, filming and scale buildup on treated surfaces, reduce and/or eliminate the need for polymers, including water conditioning agents, threshold reagents and/or rinse aids, and using protons generated in the acidic water effluent for triggering events useful in various cleaning applications.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A dispensing system employing an ion exchange resin regenerated by an acid comprising:
a water inlet for providing a water source to a water conditioning unit, wherein the water inlet is in fluid communication with the water conditioning unit;
a functional ingredient inlet for providing additional functional ingredients to a water conditioning unit, wherein the functional ingredient inlet is in fluid communication with the water conditioning unit;
a water conditioning unit comprising a water treatment component housed within, wherein said water treatment component comprises at least one weak acid and/or strong acid ion exchange resin capable of generating a treated water source by exchanging protons on said resin for dissolved cations including water hardness ions and total dissolved solids in said water source;
an outlet for providing the treated water source to a water delivery line, wherein the water delivery line is in fluid communication with the water conditioning unit and a blending unit, wherein the blending unit generates and/or dispenses a use solution of a cleaning composition by combining the treated water source with a concentrated cleaning composition; and
wherein the treated water source meets a defined water specification, and wherein the water specification is a softened, acidic water having a total dissolved solids (TDS) below about 200 ppm, a hardness level of less than about 2 grains and a pH less than about 6.

2. The system according to claim 1 , further comprising a cleaning composition use solution delivery line that is in fluid connection with the blending unit to provide the generated cleaning composition use solution to a point of use or delivery device (e.g. dispensing bottle).

3. The system according to claim 1 , wherein said additional functional ingredients include surfactants, wetting agents, sanitizing agents, sterilizing agents, acidic detergents, enzymatic detergents and combinations thereof.

4. The system according to claim 1 , wherein said ion exchange resin is a weak acid exchange resin having a polyacrylic copolymer matrix and carboxylic acid functional group and/or a strong acid exchange resin having a polystyrene matrix and sulfonic acid functional group.

5. The system according to claim 1 , wherein said ion exchange resin is an acid exchange resin selected from the group consisting of a cross-linked acrylic acid with carboxylic acid functional group, a cross-linked methacrylic acid with carboxylic acid functional group, a polystyrene with sulfonic acid functional group, a polystyrene with sulfonic acid functional group and mixtures of thereof.

6. The system according to claim 1 , wherein said ion exchange resin has a surface comprising carboxylic acid functional groups and/or sulfonic acid functional groups.

7. The system according to claim 1 , further comprising an additional water treatment apparatus and water delivery line in fluid connection with the water treatment reservoir.

8. The system according to claim 1 , further comprising a measuring device for obtaining pH and/or proton concentration and/or total dissolved solids measurements from the water treatment reservoir, the water source and/or the treated water source, and a controller to receive the measurements and trigger an event.

9. The system according to claim 1 , further comprising a storage reservoir housing an acid regenerant and a delivery line fluidly connected to the water treatment reservoir to deliver the acid regenerant to the ion exchange resin.

10. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the ion exchange resin is regenerated using an acid regenerant upon exhaustion, wherein said exhaustion may be measured according to a measurement of total dissolved solids (TDS) above about 200 ppm, a hardness level of greater than about 2 grains and/or a pH greater than about 6 within the treated water source and/or the use solution of the cleaning composition.

11. A method of generating a use solution of a cleaning composition employing a water source from an ion exchange resin regenerated by an acid comprising:
providing a water source to a water conditioning unit comprising: a water inlet for providing the water source, wherein the water inlet is in fluid communication with the water conditioning unit; a functional ingredient inlet for providing additional functional ingredients, wherein the functional ingredient inlet is in fluid communication with the water conditioning unit, and wherein the additional functional ingredients include surfactants, wetting agents, sanitizing agents, sterilizing agents, acidic detergents, enzymatic detergents, and combinations thereof; a water treatment component housed within the water conditioning unit, wherein said water treatment component comprises at least one weak acid and/or strong acid ion exchange resin capable of generating a treated water source by exchanging protons on said resin for dissolved cations including water hardness ions and total dissolved solids in said water source; and an outlet for providing the treated water source to a water delivery line, wherein the water delivery line is in fluid communication with the water conditioning unit and a blending unit;
generating the treated water source, wherein the treated water source meets a defined water specification, and wherein the water specification is a softened, acidic water having a total dissolved solids (TDS) below about 200 ppm, a hardness level of less than about 2 grains and a pH less than about 6; and
providing the treated water source to the blending unit to generate and/or dispense a use solution of a cleaning composition by combining the treated water source with a concentrated cleaning composition.

12. The method according to claim 11 , wherein said ion exchange resin is a weak acid cation exchange resin selected from the group consisting of a cross-linked polyacrylic with carboxylic acid functional group, a cross-linked polymethacrylic with carboxylic acid functional group and mixtures of thereof, and/or a strong acid cation exchange resin selected from the group consisting of a polystyrene with sulfonic acid functional group, a polystyrene with sulfonic acid functional group and mixtures of thereof.

13. The method according to claim 11 , wherein said ion exchange resin is a layered bed system employing at least two of said cation exchange resins.

14. The method according to claim 11 , further comprising measuring pH and/or proton concentration and/or total dissolved solids (TDS) within the treated water source and/or use solution of the cleaning composition, and triggering an event as a result of the obtained measurement.

15. The method according to claim 14 , wherein a differential pH and/or proton concentration measurement is obtained from said water source and said treated water source and/or use solution of the cleaning composition.

16. The method according to claim 14 , wherein the triggered event is selected from the group consisting of regenerating the resin of the water treatment component, varying a detergent or other chemistry addition to the treated water source and/or use solution of the cleaning composition.

17. The method according to claim 16 , wherein the regeneration of the resin is triggered and comprises providing an acid regenerant to the resin, displacing water hardness ions on the resin with protons from the acid regenerant, and generating a regeneration step effluent water.

18. A method of cleaning using a cleaning solution generated on-site employing a water source from an ion exchange resin regen

Assignees

• Ecolab Usa Inc

Inventors

• Everson Terrence P
• Wen Li
• Tan Lylien
• Voss Peter
• Toetschinger Mark
• Klos Terry J
• Levitt Mark Dennis
• Treder Sara
• Alowonle Toyin

Classifications

• C02F2303/16

  Regeneration of sorbents, filters · CPC title

• C02F2209/005

  Processes using a programmable logic controller [PLC] · CPC title

• B01J39/05

  in the strongly acidic form · CPC title

• C02F2209/06

  pH · CPC title

• B08B3/04

  Cleaning involving contact with liquid · CPC title