ABSTRACT
The primary contaminants found in chemical plant effluents are organic in nature and present in both ionized and non-ionized forms. It is well known that these contaminants can be selectively removed from water by ion exchange. However, significant levels of inorganic species are usually present in organic waste streams, and these species compete for the available ion-exchange sites. This causes a decrease in the resin’s capacity for adsorbing organic materials. Another problem with this technique is that organic species are often exchanged or adsorbed irreversibly onto an ion-exchange resin, consequently causing a decrease in the operating life of the resin.
