PROCESS AND DEVICE FOR ENRICHING WATER WITH MAGNESIUM IONS

Abstract

The invention relates to a process and a device for enriching water, in particular drinking water, with magnesium ions. In order to enable enrichment of water with magnesium ions in exchange for calcium ions and/or heavy metal ions during treatment of water, and in particular of drinking water, it is proposed according to the invention to pass the water through an ion exchanger which contains a weakly acidic ion exchange material, wherein at least a part of its ion exchange capacity is loaded with magnesium ions.

Claims

1-10. (canceled)

11. A device for enriching drinking water with magnesium ions, comprising an ion exchanger which contains a weakly acidic ion exchanger material, the ion exchanger material being loaded at least to a part of its ion exchanger capacity with magnesium ions and loaded in the range of 70 to 30% of its ion exchanger capacity with hydrogen ions.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the ion exchanger material comprises a weakly acidic cationic exchanger resin.

13. The device of claim 11, wherein the ion exchanger material is loaded with magnesium ions in the range of 30 to 70% of its ion exchanger capacity.

14. The device of claim 11, wherein the ion exchanger comprises a bed made of weakly acidic ion exchanger material.

15. The device of claim 11, further comprising a filter arranged before or after the ion exchanger material in the direction of the flow of water through the ion exchanger.

16. The device of claim 11, wherein the ion exchanger comprises a part of a cartridge for use in a drinking water container.

17. A cartridge for use in a water treatment system, comprising: a cartridge housing which is insertable into a water treatment system; an ion exchanger material disposed in the cartridge housing, the ion exchanger material being loaded at least to a part of its ion exchanger capacity with magnesium ions and loaded in the range of 70 to 30% of its ion exchanger capacity with hydrogen ions.

18. The cartridge of claim 17, wherein the ion exchanger material is loaded with magnesium ions in the range of 30 to 70% of its ion exchanger capacity.

19. The cartridge of claim 17, wherein the ion exchanger material comprises a bed of weakly acidic cation exchanger resin.

20. The cartridge of claim 17, further comprising a filter.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0028] The FIGURE is a schematic side sectional view of a device for enriching water in accordance with the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] The embodiments of the present invention described below are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed in the following detailed description. Rather, the embodiments are chosen and described so that others skilled in the art may appreciate and understand the principles and practices of the present invention.

[0030] The following is a detailed explanation of an embodiment of the invention indicated in the drawing, wherein the single figure shows a device for enriching water with magnesium ions.

[0031] The device or system shown in the drawing includes a container 1 which is open at its upward end, as well as an insert 2 which serves for filtration and treatment of drinking water, and which is suspended in the expanded upper front end of the container 1.

[0032] The insert 2 includes an upper part 3 that extends upwards, and an upright, substantially cylindrical lower part having an exchangeable or replaceable cartridge 4 having a cartridge housing which is inserted into the upper part 3 of system or device 1. The cartridge is provided on its upper front end with one inlet opening 5 and on its lower front end with a plurality of outlet openings 6. The cartridge 4 is penetrated in the upper part with a round receiving opening created in the bottom 7 of the upper part 3, and it is sealed by means of an annular seal 8 in relation to the upper part 3, so that no water can be introduced from the upper part 3 onto the cartridge 4 in the inner part of the container 1. The upper part 3 forms a reservoir for the water to be treated, which flows after the upper part 3 has been filled due to gravity through the cartridge 4 into the container 1. The cartridge 4 contains an ion exchanger 9, which has the form of a packing made of a weakly acidic cationic exchange resin loaded with magnesium ions, so that when the water flows through the cartridge 4, calcium ions and heavy metal ions obtained from the water are exchanged for magnesium ions from the cationic exchange resin and the treated water is thus enriched in this manner with magnesium ions. At the upper end and at the lower end of the cartridge 4, respectively, is deployed a fine filter 10 or 11, which prevents entry of contaminants such as particles contained in raw water into the ion exchanger 9, or the discharge of solid substances from the cartridge 4 through the outlet openings 6 provided in the container 1.

[0033] A cation exchanger of the Lanxess Company, type S 8227, was employed in the lower part 3 of the insert 2 as the ion exchanger 9 during water treatment tests performed with a similar container, which was loaded ahead of time with magnesium ions so that it was loaded to about 60% of its ion exchanger capacity with ions in the form of magnesium ions, while hydrogen ions were used for the remaining capacity.

[0034] In order to load the weakly acidic cation exchange resin of the cation exchanger with magnesium ions, the exchanger resin of the ion exchanger, which was first in the form of hydrogen ions, was processed in batch in an aqueous suspension of magnesium oxide (MgO) so that the suspension was stirred during a period of several hours.

[0035] During the subsequent tests, the cation exchanger was impacted by tap water which contained calcium and magnesium ions, as well as copper ions in different concentrations. The content of calcium ions and magnesium ions, or copper ions, was measured before and after the tap water passed through the cation exchanger in order to determine the success of the enriching of drinking water with magnesium ions, or the success of the removal of heavy metal ions.

[0036] Tables 1 and 2 show the results of the tests with respect to the enriching of the water with magnesium ions, and the changes of the pH value and of the content of calcium ions for two different tap water types, wherein the pH value and the concentration of Ca.sup.++ ions and Mg.sup.++ ions are indicated both for the inflow to and outflow from the ion exchanger depending on the volume of the processed water.

TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Inflow to the Outflow from the Ion Exchanger Ion Exchanger Water Volume Ca.sup.++ in Mg.sup.++ in Ca.sup.++ in Mg.sup.++ in in Liters pH ppm ppm pH ppm ppm 2 7.6 115 16.0 6.7 14.1 13.8 8 7.6 113 17.4 6.3 15.7 24.2 14 7.6 112 15.6 6.3 18.0 25.6 26 7.6 111 15.1 6.5 29.1 29.8 38 7.6 112 14.7 6.6 40.2 29.3 71 7.6 114 14.9 7.0 84.1 20.9 106 7.6 114 14.2 7.1 91.3 18.0 126 7.6 114 14.2 7.2 97.8 16.1

TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 Inflow to the Outflow from the Ion Exchanger Ion Exchanger Water Volume Ca.sup.++ in Mg.sup.++ in Ca.sup.++ in Mg.sup.++ in in Liters pH ppm ppm pH ppm ppm 2 7.4 80.4 8.78 6.7 7.8 0.3 5 7.4 68.2 5.20 6.4 9.2 10.5 10 7.4 63.7 3.77 6.4 11.8 14.0 21 7.4 63.5 3.83 6.5 15.5 15.7 61 7.5 62.9 3.92 6.8 32.6 12.8 106 7.5 69.4 5.31 6.9 39.6 14.8 123 7.4 69.6 5.94 6.9 50.3 9.9

[0037] As one can see from Table 1 and 2, one part of the calcium ions contained in the water is exchanged during the passage of the water through the ion exchanger for magnesium ions from the weakly acidic cation exchanger resin. Therefore, the concentration of the magnesium ions in the treated water is clearly above the concentration of the magnesium ions in the raw water. Further, it is also evident that the pH value of the water after the water has passed through the ion exchanger is at least 6.3, which means that the water flowing out of the ion exchanger is particularly suitable for preparation of tea.

[0038] Table 3 shows the results of tests carried out with different tap water with respect to enriching with copper ions in water, enriching with magnesium ions in water, and changes in the content of calcium ions, wherein depending on the volume of the treated water, the concentration of the Ca.sup.++, Mg.sup.++ and Cu ions are indicated during the inflow to and outflow from the ion exchanger.

TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 3 Inflow to Ion Exchange Water Ca.sup.++ Mg.sup.++ Cu.sup.++ Outflow from Ion Exchanger Volume in in in Ca.sup.++ in Mg.sup.++ in Cu.sup.++ in in Liters ppm ppm ppm ppm ppm ppm 3 116 23.4 2.09 22.9 26.0 0.11 16 118 24.8 2.19 59.0 35.0 0.13 40 119 24.7 2.13 83.2 27.9 0.24

[0039] As one can see from Table 3, the weakly acidic cation exchanger of the exchange resin was capable of exchanging more than 90% of the copper ions contained in water for hydrogen or magnesium ions.

[0040] It was then determined during further tests that the same was true also about other heavy metal ions, such as for example lead ions, which were also exchanged for magnesium ions.

[0041] In summary, one can say that an ion exchanger having a weakly acidic cation exchange resin makes it possible to remove both calcium and heavy metal ions from raw water and replace them with magnesium ions.

[0042] Unlike with an ion exchanger which has a weakly acidic cationic exchange resin in the form of hydrogen ions and which exchanges only cations that stoichiometrically correspond to the hydrogen carbon ions, cations of corresponding sulfates, nitrates and chlorides are additionally also exchanged.

[0043] While exemplary embodiments incorporating the principles of the present invention have been disclosed hereinabove, the present invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. Instead, this application is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the invention using its general principles. Further, this application is intended to cover such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice in the art to which this invention pertains and which fall within the limits of the appended claims.