Methods and systems for an integrated acid regeneration of ion exchange resins are disclosed for use in cleaning applications. Acid resins designed for use in a variety of cleaning application using a treated, softened, acidic water source are disclosed. Various methods of using the softened acidic water generated by acid regenerate-able ion exchange resins within a cleaning application, e.g. ware wash machine, are disclosed to beneficially reduce spotting, filming and scale buildup on treated surfaces, reduce and/or eliminate the need for polymers, threshold reagents and/or rinse aids, and using protons generated in the acidic water effluent for triggering events useful in various cleaning applications.

Provided is a method for preparing a hypochlorous acid aqueous solution by which a weakly acidic hypochlorous acid aqueous solution having a pH of about 3.5-7 can be obtained without substantially generating chlorine gas even immediately after regeneration or even with a new weakly acidic cation exchange resin. In a method for preparing a hypochlorous acid aqueous solution wherein an aqueous solution of hypochlorite is brought into contact with a weakly acidic cation exchanger to exchange a cation constituting the hypochlorite with hydrogen ions to increase the concentration of hypochlorous acid in the aqueous solution, a neutral salt solution of a strong acid and a strong base in an amount that may obtain the hypochlorous acid aqueous solution having a pH of at least 3.5 when the hypochlorite aqueous solution is brought into contact with the weakly acidic cation exchanger is brought into contact, prior to the contact between the hypochlorite aqueous solution and the weakly acidic cation exchanger, with a weakly acidic cation exchanger that has been regenerated or has not been substantially subjected to cation exchange.

A process for recovery of lithium ions from a lithium-bearing brine includes contacting the lithium-bearing brine with a lithium ion sieve (where that LIS includes an oxide of titanium or niobium) in a first stirred reactor to form a lithium ion complex with the lithium ion sieve, and decomplexing the lithium ion from the lithium ion sieve in a second stirred reactor to form the lithium ion sieve and an acidic lithium salt eluate.

A water treatment system, such as a water softening system, having a water treatment tank with at least one distributor plate mounted inside to support filter media and/or ion exchange resin. The water treatment system is designed to treat hard water with a packed ion-exchange filter media and has a distributor plate design for facilitating the ion-exchange within a water softener resin bed, as well as facilitating the regeneration of the resin bed. The distributor plate presents cavities to the topside for entrapping filter media, and the cavities have narrow slits located at the base for allowing fluid to pass. A method for assembling the water treatment tank and supporting inserted distributor plate is shown. The distributor plate rest on and is supported by a domed-shaped structure that can be placed in the bottom portion of the water treatment vessel.

A water softener apparatus comprising a housing having a chamber for accommodating at least one compressed salt block having an elongated block form, the configuration accommodating the compressed salt block within the chamber with its longitudinal axis in a vertical orientation. The water softener apparatus includes a manually detachable front cover enclosing the chamber and a non-touch salt level indicator device arranged in or on the front cover of the housing above the chamber to determine a salt level from an upper end face of the compressed salt block accommodated in the chamber, the non-touch salt level indicator device determining the salt level from the upper end face of the compressed salt block through a wall of the front cover of the housing. The non-touch salt level indicator device is a battery powered device and the water softener apparatus is a non-electric powered water softener apparatus.

A water softener apparatus comprising a housing having a chamber for accommodating at least one compressed salt block having an elongated block form, the configuration accommodating the compressed salt block within the chamber with its longitudinal axis in a vertical orientation. The water softener apparatus includes a manually detachable front cover enclosing the chamber and a non-touch salt level indicator device arranged in or on the front cover of the housing above the chamber to determine a salt level from an upper end face of the compressed salt block accommodated in the chamber, the non-touch salt level indicator device determining the salt level from the upper end face of the compressed salt block through a wall of the front cover of the housing. The non-touch salt level indicator device is a battery powered device and the water softener apparatus is a non-electric powered water softener apparatus.

The invention relates to a system and method of use for concentrating a solution that is eluted from an ion exchange process (elution solution) during an ion exchange regeneration using the osmotic pressure of the salt saturator. This method recovers solvent from the elution solution that could be used in a future ion exchange regeneration process. The concentration of the elution solution may include the precipitation and removal of solids from the elution solution.

A system and method configured to restore ion exchange kinetic properties and purify resin is described. Degraded ion exchange kinetic properties of anion resin will eventually result in impurity slippage through resin charges. This system and method employs an acid catalyst in combination with sulfite cleaning solution to remove organic material and to protonate iron oxides for deconstruction and removal from anion resins. The cleaning solution, when applied via a cleaning vessel utilizing an eductor(s)/plenum and wedge-wire screen draw chamber, while controlling all phases of cleaning by electronic monitoring, yields complete restoration of ion exchange kinetics on usable resin. As such, the system and method provides a safe, effective, and vastly improved method for restoring anion resin kinetics and improving regeneration quality, for improved resin performance and minimizing resin replacement costs.

The present invention relates to recovery of lithium from liquid resources to produce lithium solutions while limiting impurity precipitation in the lithium solutions.

A system for providing an acidic ionized ozonated liquid. The system includes a liquid inlet arranged to accept a liquid into the system; an acid-based cation-exchange resin in fluid communication with the liquid inlet, the resin adapted to exchange cations in the accepted liquid with H+ ions on the resin; an ozone dissolving apparatus in fluid communication with the liquid inlet and the acid-based cation-exchange resin; and a liquid outlet in fluid communication with the liquid inlet, the acid-based cation-exchange resin and the ozone dissolving apparatus. The ozone dissolving apparatus and the acid-based cation-exchange resin cooperating to produce the acidic ionized ozonated liquid for dispensation out of the system via the liquid outlet.