[Slacky]

So if ur into commercial work and have accreditations u will more than likely have an environmental policy.
From an environmental point of view DI only is better than using a RO as there's no waste water with DI only
Now given the recent news on tiny plastic particles in our sea life, maybe there is an argument that the RO is actually more enviromentally friendly even tho it uses a lot more water.

Am sure it's only time before resin can be reinjuvinated by adding a chemical of some sort

Theres no waste with R.O.

It all goes the same place whether its dribbled down some glass or down the kitchen sink.

[Matt.]

I disagree there slacky .... Purified water is the product we use, the excess water that leaves the ro and enters the drains is 100% waste.

But totally agree with ur other comment about changing ur own behaviour and not pointing the finger 👍

[Matt.]

Vert interesting.... can resin be re-generated?

I was told by someone who should know that mixed bed resin cannot be regenerated.

Thats not correct Soupy. A sodium hydroxide mix seperates the resin while also regenerating the anion. Put the sunk cation in a hydrochloric acid mix to regenerate. Rinse both well, mix together again and your done. Its bloody messy but can be done.

sod messing about with hydrochloric acid......id rather just buy a fresh bag of resin....sod the planet!

I also wouldn't be messing about on my drive mixing it ....... But if a manufacturer has the facilities to do so and there was a 40% cost reduction on every kilo u buy that's matched with used returned...... Similar to the bottle scheme.... We then have a place to return it to, to then be recycled

[Slacky]

I disagree there slacky .... Purified water is the product we use, the excess water that leaves the ro and enters the drains is 100% waste.

But totally agree with ur other comment about changing ur own behaviour and not pointing the finger 👍

The waste water is water. Nothing more. How can you call it waste as if its been contaminated. Its had nothing added its just a concentrated form of dissolved solids in there that were already there.

[David Beecroft]

My brother in law used to work for Johnson and Johnson. He told me that in the plant he worked at they used huge amounts of resin for water purification and that they regenerated it. I’m not certain but I’m sure he said they use some salt/sodium solution to accomplish this.
Maybe a business opportunity for somebody???

[Soupy]

My brother in law used to work for Johnson and Johnson. He told me that in the plant he worked at they used huge amounts of resin for water purification and that they regenerated it. I’m not certain but I’m sure he said they use some salt/sodium solution to accomplish this.
Maybe a business opportunity for somebody???

I'm reliably informed that the resin that can be regenerated is a single bed resin. We use mixed bed resin which, as the name suggests, isn't a single type, it's a mixture.

Mixed bed resin cannot be regenerated. So I am told.

[David Beecroft]

If that’s the case then we should be asking if single bed resin could be used in our industry and then regenerated.
We have to be environmentally responsible, even if it’s just for the sake of our reputations. Enough people already have an issue with the amount of water we use.

[Shrek]

If that’s the case then we should be asking if single bed resin could be used in our industry and then regenerated.
We have to be environmentally responsible, even if it’s just for the sake of our reputations. Enough people already have an issue with the amount of water we use.

Eh? Like who ? That’s the first time Iv heard people have an issue with us using water

[AuRavelling79]

If that’s the case then we should be asking if single bed resin could be used in our industry and then regenerated.
We have to be environmentally responsible, even if it’s just for the sake of our reputations. Enough people already have an issue with the amount of water we use.

Eh? Like who ? That’s the first time Iv heard people have an issue with us using water

When we had hosepipe bans in the South East and threatened elsewhere I would occasionally get things like "I don't think I ought to have my windows washed if we're supposed to be conserving water".

So I would respond with "Well I collect a lot of my water off the roof in winter time which gives me 1000's of litres for times like these." (Good job they didn't do the maths or ask me if I ever used tap water as the honest answer would have been "only 98% of the time".) 

I used quite a lot of "verbal reassurance" even though we didn't actually get a ban in Bristol.

Such as ... we're okay in Bristol we get most of our water from the Severn which is drawn off by Bristol Water at Sharpness (true). So we get all the water that falls on the Welsh valleys.

Mind you - like Slacky I agree that sending clean unused water down the drain  isn't like sending dirty water and sewerage down.

[David Beecroft]

I’ve had a few customers cancel because of the amount of water we used saying it’s wasteful and I’m in the West of Scotland, the wettest part of the uk!
The point is we should be as environmentally  responsible as we can be.

[dazmond]

I’ve had a few customers cancel because of the amount of water we used saying it’s wasteful and I’m in the West of Scotland, the wettest part of the uk!
The point is we should be as environmentally  responsible as we can be.

Its just an excuse to get rid of you David.

[David Beecroft]

Never thought of that! Now I’m hurting 😢

[Matt.]

got to love it slacky   ..... We use an ro that separates the tiny particles that we can't see from the water, and then sends the clean water on to be used for window cleaning
The water that leaves the ro heading to the drain is more contaminated than it was before it entered the ro or we wouldn't use them and therefore is the waste. 
If u stored this water for another use like prsssure washing it wouldn't be waste, but if it goes down the drain it's waste

[Shrek]

got to love it slacky   ..... We use an ro that separates the tiny particles that we can't see from the water, and then sends the clean water on to be used for window cleaning
The water that leaves the ro heading to the drain is more contaminated than it was before it entered the ro or we wouldn't use them and therefore is the waste. 
If u stored this water for another use like prsssure washing it wouldn't be waste, but if it goes down the drain it's waste

I still can’t get my head round how the water can be MORE contaminated when it comes out  than BEFORE it went through the RO   

[Matt.]

Tds metre should help u

[davids3511]

Vert interesting.... can resin be re-generated?

I was told by someone who should know that mixed bed resin cannot be regenerated.

Thats not correct Soupy. A sodium hydroxide mix seperates the resin while also regenerating the anion. Put the sunk cation in a hydrochloric acid mix to regenerate. Rinse both well, mix together again and your done. Its bloody messy but can be done.

sod messing about with hydrochloric acid......id rather just buy a fresh bag of resin....sod the planet!

I'm with you  Daz, I've done it once and it worked fine but it was a ball ache. Wont be doing it again.

[davids3511]

My brother in law used to work for Johnson and Johnson. He told me that in the plant he worked at they used huge amounts of resin for water purification and that they regenerated it. I’m not certain but I’m sure he said they use some salt/sodium solution to accomplish this.
Maybe a business opportunity for somebody???

I'm reliably informed that the resin that can be regenerated is a single bed resin. We use mixed bed resin which, as the name suggests, isn't a single type, it's a mixture.

Mixed bed resin cannot be regenerated. So I am told.

Maybe they mean it can't be regenerated in only one process. Once it is in the Lye mixture it separates and is no longer 'mixed bed'. I can reliably inform you because I've done it. Only once mind you. Too many serious chemicals to want to do it again.

I did think to leave the resin separated into its two parts and put each in a di vessel. Once the tds is creeping up it would be much easier to regenerate without having to mess about separating them again.

[Elfyn]

At 25kg a time it's a little too heavy to add to the plastic recycling domestic collection. I split it into the two sacs that it comes in and take it to the local recycling site's plastic section.

[Stoots]

If you have time to worry about "how my company can reduce its use of plastics"  then there's a problem.

I mean where does it end, use of diesel, ozone layer, organic food, how many trees can I hug etc.

Whether I wang some depleted resin in the bin or not is not going to solve all the problems in the world, stop trying to do your bit, there's too many people in this world not doing their bit for it to make any difference.

So the next time you come to dispose of your resin just say feck it I'm going to die anyway, let's live life on the edge, break a few rules and sling it in the bin.

[nathankaye]

OK, so I'm late to this debate and I've not read all the back posts, but I'm a little frustrated with all this plastic waste talk.
The vast majority of the population recycles or at least I like to think so.  The damage is these plastics ending up in the sea, why is that?   Some of the reason is the shipping industry and the other is the waste disposal process and to me these are the things that need to be looked at.  So even if we recycle these things and dispose of them properly it isn't good enough because it's out of our hands then and the next steps are the causes of plastic ending up in the sea.