Ion exchange is a stoichiometric phenomenon commonly used in water treatment as an end-of-pipe technique. Such process is highly influenced by mass transfer conditions and may be modeled by adsorption equations. Although widely applied in industries its theory has not been completely understood and depends on the exchanger characteristics. Moreover, competitive systems may add complexity and decrease removal efficiency and exchanger selectivity mainly in dynamic systems. In this chapter some general theory was presented and some detailed examples involving alginate biopolymer, bonechar and zeolite in single and competitive systems were discussed in batch and continuous state.
Part of the book: Mass Transfer