ION EXCHANGE POLYMERS:-

Ion exchange resins are polymers that are capable of exchanging particular ions within the polymer
with ions in a solution that is passed through them. This ability is also seen in various natural systems
such as soils and living cells. The synthetic resins are used primarily for purifying water, but also for
various other applications including separating out some elements.
INTRODUCTION
Ion exchange materials are insoluble substances containing loosely held ions which are able to be
exchanged with other ions in solutions which come in contact with them. These exchanges take
place without any physical alteration to the ion exchange material. Ion exchangers are insoluble
acids or bases which have salts which are also insoluble, and this enables them to exchange either
positively charged ions (cation exchangers) or negatively charged ones (anion exchangers). Many
natural substances such as proteins, cellulose, living cells and soil particles exhibit ion exchange
properties which play an important role in the way the function in nature.
How ion exchange resins work
The resins are prepared as spherical beads 0.5 to 1.0 mm in diameter. These appear solid even under
the microscope, but on a molecular scale the structure is quite open, Figure. This means that a
solution passed down a resin bed can flow through the crosslinked polymer, bringing it into intimate
contact with the exchange sites. The affinity of sulphonic acid resins for cations varies with the ionic
size and charge of the cation. Generally the affinity is greatest for large ions with high valency. For
dilute solutions

Figure 1



the order of affinity for some common cations is approximately:
A corresponding list for amine based anion exchangers is:
Suppose a resin has greater affinity for ion B than for ion A. If the resin contains ion A and
ion B is dissolved in the water passing through it, then the following exchange takes place,
the reaction proceeding to the right (R represents the resin):

When the resin exchange capacity nears exhaustion, it will mostly be in the BR form.
Resin Structure and Manufacture
The manufacture of ion exchange resins involves the preparation of a cross-linked bead copolymer
followed by sulfonation in the case of strong acid cation resins, or chloromethylation and the
amination of the copolymer for anion resins.
Cation Exchange Resins.
The polymer of styrene and divinylbenzene in the form of beads is sulphonated to get a cation
exchange resin.This process is used for water softening.


Anion Exchange Resins.
To obtain an ion exchange resin, the beads of crsslinked styrene are chloro-methylated with
chloromethyl methyl ether. These are then treated with tertiary amine to get a quarternary
ammonium salt.


A strongly basic quaternary ammonion anion exchange resin

Physical Properties of Resins

Conventional ion exchange resins consists of a cross-linked polymer matrix with a relatively
uniform distribution of ion-active sites throughout the structure.
A cation exchange resin with a negatively charged matrix and exchangeable positive ions
(cations) is shown in Figure 1.
Ion exchange materials are sold as spheres or sometimes granules with a specific size and
uniformity to meet the needs of a particular application.
The majority are prepared in spherical (bead) form, either as conventional resin with a
polydispersed particle size distribution from about 0.3 mm to 1.2 mm (50-16 mesh) or as uniform
particle sized(UPS) resin with all beads in a narrow particle size range.
In the waters wollen state, ion exchange resins typically show a specific gravity of 1.1-1.5.
Bulk densities in the range of 560-960 g/l (35-60 lb/ft3) are typical for wet resinous products.

ADVANTAGES IN THE USE OF ION-EXCHANGE RESINS
The advantages of ion exchange processes are
1) the very low running costs.
2) Very little energy is required,
3) the regenerant chemicals are cheap and
4) if well maintained resin beds can last for many years before replacement is needed.
Application
1) A bed of resin can be used either to remove unwanted ions from a solution passed through
it or to accumulate a valuable mineral from the water which can later be recovered from the
resin. Examples of the removal of unwanted ions are the removal of heavy metals from
metal trade wastes, the demineralistion of the whey used to manufacture specialized dairy
products and the removal of salts from fruit juices.
2) Strong cation resins in the hydrogen form are used for the hydrolysis of starch and sucrose.
3) Water Softening.
4) Dealkalization.
5) Demineralization.
6) Ultra Pure Water.
7) Nitrate Removal.
8) Waste Treatment.
9) Chemical Processing Catalysis.
10) Purification.
11) Chromatographic Separation.
12) Pharmaceuticals and Fermentation.