Described herein are processes and apparatus for the high purity and high concentration recovery of multivalent products via continuous ion exchange from aqueous solutions for further down-stream purification.

An ion exchange column and a method of using the same are disclosed. The ion exchange column includes first interconnected chambers supporting a first portion of an ion exchange resin, second interconnected chambers supporting a second portion of the ion exchange resin, and a housing or casing enclosing the first and second interconnected chambers and the first and second ion exchange resin portions. The second chambers are physically isolated and/or separated from the first chambers. The ion exchange column is configured to cause a fluid passing through the first or second interconnected chambers to travel along a path that is longer than a height of the interconnected chambers. The present column and method improve efficiencies of fluid treatment and resin regeneration relative to a conventional dual-column design, and increase residence time between the resin and the fluid or regenerant relative to an otherwise identical single-column design.

Described herein are processes and apparatus for the high purity and high concentration recovery of multivalent products via continuous ion exchange from aqueous solutions for further down-stream purification.

Described herein are processes and apparatus for the high purity and high concentration recovery of multivalent products via continuous ion exchange from aqueous solutions for further down-stream purification.

Described herein are processes and apparatus for the high purity and high concentration recovery of multivalent products via continuous ion exchange from aqueous solutions for further down-stream purification.

The present invention aims at limiting the pressure loss and smoothly discharging water treated by ion exchangers to the outside of the apparatus. Ion exchanging apparatus 1 has outer vessel 3 that has inner space 2; and ion exchanger support 4 that separates at least a part of inner space 2 into upper space 2a and lower space 2b and that can support ion exchangers to be loaded in upper space 2a. At least a part of an upper surface of the ion exchanger support is made from at least one screen which supports the ion exchangers and which has a flow path allowing water treated by the ion exchangers to flow into the lower space 2b.

A fluid treatment apparatus comprising a tank containing a bed of at least one fluid treatment medium, a distributor plate separating the bed from an end portion of the tank, and an inert medium comprising amorphous particles having a harmonic mean diameter from 2.5 to 250 mm and a density from 0.57 to 0.998 cm.sup.3/g. The volume of the end portion containing inert medium is from 25 to 95% of the total volume of the end portion.

A fluid treatment apparatus comprising a tank containing a bed of at least one fluid treatment medium, a distributor plate separating the bed from an end portion of the tank, and an inert medium comprising amorphous particles having a harmonic mean diameter from 2.5 to 250 mm and a density from 0.57 to 0.998 cm.sup.3/g. The volume of the end portion containing inert medium is from 25 to 95% of the total volume of the end portion.