The alkalinity of water refers to its ability to neutralize acids when there is a change in pH. This neutralization is accomplished by conjugate bases of inorganic carbon, organic acid or orthophosphates. It is these contaminants that can cause problems.
- To learn more about water alkalinity, visit this page!
So what is dealkalization?
Basically, it's a treatment process that consists of reducing the anions present in water. Like water softeners, which remove cations from water, dealkalizers work in the same way and use salt brine to perform the regeneration.
- The salt molecule consists of sodium and chlorine. It is expressed as NaCl.
The difference between a softener and a dealkalizer is the resin. While the resin of a softener uses sodium ions to regenerate itself, the resin of a dealkalizer uses the chlorine present in the chlorine molecule.
The Main Difference Between Softeners and Dealkalizers
Since the operation of these two systems is very similar, without guidance, it can be hard to tell them apart. Simply put, the difference between these technologies is that the alkalizer uses an acid resin known as SAC (Strong Acid Cation).
For your information, resins are small plastic beads that are polarized and porous so that they attract and hold the ions needed for ionic permutations. When the permutation is completed and the resin has no more original ions, it is said to be exhausted. It is when the resin is exhausted that it must be regenerated.
The Use of Dealkalizers
Dealkalization systems are generally used upstream of a water softener. This system arrangement allows the production of very good quality water. Moreover, these systems are most often found on water pretreatment lines for industrial boilers.
In short, if you liked this article, here are a few others that you might like.
- What are the most common water treatment methods?
- What is an Ion?
- What is ion exchange?
- What is resin regeneration and how is it done?
- What is a DI?