Overview
The Ion Exchange Apparatus passes ionic aqueous solutions through beds of cation and/or anion exchange resins packed in glass columns, demonstrating the exchange of undesirable ions (hardness, heavy metals, nitrates) with harmless counterions (H+, Na+, OH-). The breakthrough curves obtained reveal bed capacity and operating range. Students determine exchange capacity, breakthrough time, regeneration efficiency, and compare performance of different resin types. The apparatus is relevant to water softening, demineralisation, pharmaceutical purification, and wastewater treatment applications where selective ion removal is required.
Specifications
| Columns | glass, 2 (cation + anion) |
| Column diameter | 25 to 50 mm |
| Bed height | 200 to 500 mm |
| Resin | strong acid cation / strong base anion |
| Flow rate | 0.5 to 5 BV/hour |
| Feed | hard water or salt solution |
| Analysis | conductivity meter, pH meter, titration |
| Power supply | 220V AC, 50 Hz |