Acid regeneration of ion exchange resins for industrial applications

• US 9,919,935 B2
• Filed: 06/10/2016
• Issued: 03/20/2018
• 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, Klos, Terry J., Levitt, Mark Dennis, Treder, Sara, Alowonle, Toyin
• Primary Examiner(s): Barry, Chester T
• Application Number:
  US15/179,496
• Publication Number:
  US 20160362308A1
• Time in Patent Office: 648 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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 employing softened acidified water sources from an acid regenerated ion exchange resins are disclosed. Various methods of dispensing and/or using the softened acidic water generated by an acid regenerate-able ion exchange resin are disclosed to beneficially reduce spotting, filming and scale buildup on treated surfaces, reduce and/or eliminate the need for polymers, including water conditioning agents, 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. A dispensing system employing an ion exchange resin regenerated by an acid comprising:

a water inlet for providing a water source to a water conditioning unit, wherein the water inlet is in fluid communication with the water conditioning unit;

a functional ingredient inlet for providing additional functional ingredients to a water conditioning unit, wherein the functional ingredient inlet is in fluid communication with the water conditioning unit;

a water conditioning unit comprising a water treatment component housed within, wherein said water treatment component comprises at least one weak acid and/or strong acid 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;

an outlet for providing the treated water source to a water delivery line, wherein the water delivery line is in fluid communication with the water conditioning unit and a blending unit, wherein the blending unit generates and/or dispenses a use solution of a cleaning composition by combining the treated water source with a concentrated cleaning composition; and

wherein the treated water source meets a defined water specification, and wherein the water specification is a softened, acidic water having a total dissolved solids (TDS) below about 200 ppm, a hardness level of less than about 2 grains and a pH less than about 6.

2. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a cleaning composition use solution delivery line that is in fluid connection with the blending unit to provide the generated cleaning composition use solution to a point of use or delivery device (e.g. dispensing bottle).

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein said additional functional ingredients include surfactants, wetting agents, sanitizing agents, sterilizing agents, acidic detergents, enzymatic detergents and combinations thereof.

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

5. 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, a polystyrene with sulfonic acid functional group and mixtures of thereof.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein said ion exchange resin has a surface comprising carboxylic acid functional groups and/or sulfonic acid functional groups.

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a storage reservoir housing an acid regenerant and a delivery line fluidly connected to the water treatment reservoir to deliver the acid regenerant to the ion exchange resin.

10. The system according to claim 1, wherein the ion exchange resin is regenerated using an acid regenerant upon exhaustion, wherein said exhaustion may be measured according to a measurement of total dissolved solids (TDS) above about 200 ppm, a hardness level of greater than about 2 grains and/or a pH greater than about 6 within the treated water source and/or the use solution of the cleaning composition.

11. A method of generating a use solution of a cleaning composition employing a water source from an ion exchange resin regenerated by an acid comprising:

providing a water source to a water conditioning unit comprising;

a water inlet for providing the water source, wherein the water inlet is in fluid communication with the water conditioning unit;

a functional ingredient inlet for providing additional functional ingredients, wherein the functional ingredient inlet is in fluid communication with the water conditioning unit, and wherein the additional functional ingredients include surfactants, wetting agents, sanitizing agents, sterilizing agents, acidic detergents, enzymatic detergents, and combinations thereof;

a water treatment component housed within the water conditioning unit, wherein said water treatment component comprises at least one weak acid and/or strong acid 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

an outlet for providing the treated water source to a water delivery line, wherein the water delivery line is in fluid communication with the water conditioning unit and a blending unit;

generating the treated water source, wherein the treated water source meets a defined water specification, and wherein the water specification is a softened, acidic water having a total dissolved solids (TDS) below about 200 ppm, a hardness level of less than about 2 grains and a pH less than about 6; and

providing the treated water source to the blending unit to generate and/or dispense a use solution of a cleaning composition by combining the treated water source with a concentrated cleaning composition.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein said ion exchange resin is a weak acid cation exchange resin selected from the group consisting of a cross-linked polyacrylic with carboxylic acid functional group, a cross-linked polymethacrylic with carboxylic acid functional group and mixtures of thereof, and/or a strong acid cation exchange resin selected from the group consisting of a polystyrene with sulfonic acid functional group, a polystyrene with sulfonic acid functional group and mixtures of thereof.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein said ion exchange resin is a layered bed system employing at least two of said cation exchange resins.

14. The method according to claim 11, further comprising measuring pH and/or proton concentration and/or total dissolved solids (TDS) within the treated water source and/or use solution of the cleaning composition, and triggering an event as a result of the obtained measurement.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein a differential pH and/or proton concentration measurement is obtained from said water source and said treated water source and/or use solution of the cleaning composition.

16. The method according to claim 14, wherein the triggered event is selected from the group consisting of regenerating the resin of the water treatment component, varying a detergent or other chemistry addition to the treated water source and/or use solution of the cleaning composition.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the regeneration of the resin is triggered and comprises providing an acid regenerant to the resin, displacing water hardness ions on the resin with protons from the acid regenerant, and generating a regeneration step effluent water.

18. A method of cleaning using a cleaning solution generated on-site employing a water source from an ion exchange resin regenerated by an acid comprising:

providing a water source to a water conditioning unit comprising;

a water inlet for providing the water source, wherein the water inlet is in fluid communication with the water conditioning unit;

a functional ingredient inlet for providing additional functional ingredients, wherein the functional ingredient inlet is in fluid communication with the water conditioning unit, and wherein the additional functional ingredients include surfactants, wetting agents, sanitizing agents, sterilizing agents, acidic detergents, enzymatic detergents, and combinations thereof;

a water treatment component housed within the water conditioning unit, wherein said water treatment component comprises at least one weak acid and/or strong acid 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

an outlet for providing the treated water source to a water delivery line, wherein the water delivery line is in fluid communication with the water conditioning unit and a blending unit;

generating the treated water source, wherein the treated water source meets a defined water specification, and wherein the water specification is a softened, acidic water having a total dissolved solids (TDS) below about 200 ppm, a hardness level of less than about 2 grains and a pH less than about 6;

providing the treated water source to the blending unit to generate and/or dispense a use solution of a cleaning composition by combining the treated water source with a concentrated cleaning composition; and

contacting a surface and/or substrate in need of cleaning with the use solution of the cleaning composition.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the treated water source reduces the total detergent, threshold agent and/or polymer requirement for the cleaning composition, and wherein the use of said treated water source improves cleaning efficacy as measured by a reduction in spotting and filming and/or preventing scale build up on articles and surfaces in comparison to cleaning with compositions without the treated water source.

20. The method according to claim 18, wherein said surface in need of cleaning is glass and wherein the treated water source has a TDS below about 100 ppm.