Ion Exchange

Water softeners are specific ion exchangers that are designed to remove ions, which are positively charged. Softeners mainly remove calcium and magnesium ions. These ions are often referred to as ‘hardness minerals’. Softeners are sometimes even applied to remove iron. The softening devices are able to remove up to five milligrams per liter of dissolved iron. Softeners can be automatic, semi-automatic or manual. Each type is rated on the amount of hardness it can remove before regeneration is necessary.

A water softener collects hard minerals within its conditioning tank and from time to time flushes them away to drain. Ion exchangers are often used for water softening. When an ion exchanger is applied for water softening, it will replace the calcium and magnesium ions in the water with other ions, for instance sodium or potassium. The exchanger ions are added to the ion exchanger reservoir as sodium and potassium salts.