Studies on Indigenous Ion Exchange Resins III: Column Characteristics

The column characteristics of gel-type, macroporous and nuclear grade strongly acidic cation exchange resins from three Indian manufacturers were studied for the exchange of Na+, Cs+, Ca2+ and Sr2+ with respect to hydrogen ion. The ion exchange isotherms and the equilibrium constants were evaluated from the breakthrough curves using the equation given by Glueckauf and were compared with that obtained by equilibrium batch experiments. In general, the equilibrium constants derived from column experiments were comparable to batch experiments in the case of Na and Ca ions and lower than that obtained from batch technique for Cs and Sr ions. Results also indicated that among the nine resins evaluated, no single resin showed good selectivity for both Cs and Sr ions; two different resins would have to be chosen for the removal of these elements present in the Low-level Liquid Waste (LLW) stream.