ioncserével

"Ioncsere" is a process used to remove dissolved ions from a solution by exchanging them for other ions held on a solid ion-exchange resin. This technique is widely applied in water purification, where it can soften hard water by removing calcium and magnesium ions, or demineralize water by removing most dissolved salts. The ion-exchange resin is a porous material, typically a synthetic polymer, that contains charged functional groups. These functional groups attract and bind ions of opposite charge from the solution passing through the resin bed.

There are two main types of ion exchange: cation exchange and anion exchange. Cation exchange resins remove positively charged ions (cations) like sodium, calcium, and magnesium, while anion exchange resins remove negatively charged ions (anions) such as chloride, sulfate, and nitrate. Often, a combination of cation and anion exchange resins is used in series to achieve complete demineralization. Once the resin becomes saturated with ions from the solution, it needs to be regenerated. This is typically done by passing a concentrated solution of ions (e.g., sodium chloride for cation exchange, or sodium hydroxide for anion exchange) through the resin bed, which displaces the bound ions and restores the resin's capacity for further use. Ion exchange is also employed in various industrial processes, including the recovery of valuable metals, the purification of chemicals, and in chromatography for separating and analyzing different substances.