Urea sulfate and sodium chloride blend for regeneration of cation exchange resins

• US 9,593,028 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2013
• Issued: 03/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ecolab USA Incorporated (Ecolab, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Ecolab USA Incorporated (Ecolab, Inc.)
• Inventors: Everson, Terrence P., Wen, Li, Tan, Lylien, Voss, Peter, Toetschinger, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Barr, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shahinian, Levon J
• Application Number:
  US13/802,874
• Publication Number:
  US 20130192638A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,461 Days
• Field of Search: 68/17.R, 134/94.1, 204/632, 210/198.1, 210/269, 210/638, 210/660, 210/670
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 15/241 the dishes moving in a horizontal plane
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 15/4217 Fittings for water supply, e.g. valves or plumbing means to connect to cold or warm water lines, aquastops
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 15/4229 Water softening arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 39/05 in the strongly acidic form
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 39/07 in the weakly acidic form
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 39/08 Use of material as cation exchangers; Treatment of material for improving the cation exchange properties
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 39/19 obtained otherwise than by reactions only involving unsaturated carbon-to-carbon bonds
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 39/20 obtained by reactions only involving unsaturated carbon-to-carbon bonds
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 47/15 for obtaining a solution having a fixed pH
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 49/06 containing cationic exchangers
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 49/53 for cationic exchangers
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 49/75 of water softeners
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 3/04 Cleaning involving contact with liquid
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 3/14 Removing waste, e.g. labels, from cleaning liquid; Regenerating cleaning liquidstreatment of water in general C02F
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/42 by ion-exchange ion-exchange in general B01J
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2001/425 using cation exchangers
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2209/00 Controlling or monitoring parameters in water treatment
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2209/005 Processes using a programmable logic controller [PLC]
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2209/06 pH
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2303/16 Regeneration of sorbents, filters
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 39/007 : Arrangements of water softeners

Abstract

Methods and systems for an integrated acid regeneration of ion exchange resins are disclosed for use in cleaning applications. Acid resins designed for use in a variety of cleaning application using a treated, softened, acidic water source are disclosed. Various methods of using the softened acidic water generated by acid regenerate-able ion exchange resins within a cleaning application, e.g. ware wash machine, are disclosed to beneficially reduce spotting, filming and scale buildup on treated surfaces, reduce and/or eliminate the need for polymers, threshold reagents and/or rinse aids, and using protons generated in the acidic water effluent for triggering events useful in various cleaning applications.

Claims

1. An integrated system employing an ion exchange resin regenerated by an acid for producing an acidic softened water source comprising:

an inlet for providing a water source;

a water treatment reservoir, wherein the inlet is in fluid communication with the water treatment reservoir;

a water treatment component housed within the water treatment reservoir, wherein said water treatment component comprises at least one 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 wherein said ion exchange resin is an acid form or in an inert metal form;

an outlet, wherein the outlet is in fluid communication with the water treatment reservoir;

a chamber into which articles are placed for cleaning;

a treated water delivery line in fluid communication between the outlet and the chamber;

a wash tank, wherein the wash tank is in fluid communication with a dispensing module that dispenses a wash agent into the wash tank;

a wash agent delivery line in fluid communication with the wash tank and the chamber;

an acid salt delivery line in fluid communication with the water treatment reservoir, wherein an acid salt regenerant is delivered to the water treatment reservoir for regenerating the ion exchange resin;

an acid salt regenerant storage reservoir in fluid communication with the acid salt delivery line;

an acid salt regenerant contained in the acid salt regenerant storage reservoir;

wherein the treated water source meets a defined water specification, and wherein the specification is a softened, acidic water having total dissolved solids (TDS) of less than about 300 ppm, a hardness level of less than about 2 grains and a pH less than about 6.

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

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the regenerant is selected from the group consisting of sodium chloride, urea sulphate, urea, sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid, phosphoric acid, nitric acid, citric acid, acetic acid, methane sulfonic acid and combinations thereof.

4. 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, and mixtures of thereof.

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. The system according to claim 1, further comprising at least one pump configured to pump the treated water source, the wash agent and/or additional cleaning and/or rinsing agents into the chamber.

8. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a booster heater for heating the treated water source, the wash agent contained in a wash tank, a rinse agent and/or additional cleaning agents to at least a predetermined temperature.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein the wash agent is combined with water and/or additional chemical products in the wash tank.

10. The system according to claim 1, wherein a dilution system is in fluid communication with said treated water delivery line that is fluidly connected with said outlet from said water treatment reservoir, wherein said treated water delivery line delivers said treated water to said dilution system before entering said chamber.

11. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a water storage tank in fluid communication with said treated water delivery line, and a pump in fluid communication with said water storage tank and said wash tank, wherein said water storage tank is a reservoir for holding treated water source.

12. The system according to claim 1, wherein said acid salt delivery line in fluid communication with said water treatment reservoir is controlled by a pump in fluid communication with the acid salt regenerant storage reservoir, and wherein the pump controls delivery of a dilute acid salt regenerant, and wherein the regenerant comprises a concentration of about 10 wt-% to about 50 wt-% urea sulfate and about 50 wt-% to about 90 wt-% alkali metal salt.

13. The system according to claim 12, further comprising a waste delivery line in fluid communication with said water treatment reservoir, Wherein said waste delivery line removes an effluent waste source from the regeneration of the ion exchange resin.

14. The system according to claim 12, further comprising an untreated water delivery line in fluid communication with said acid salt delivery line and/or said acid salt regenerant storage reservoir to provide a water source to form a dilute acid salt regeneration source for regeneration of the ion exchange resin.