Ion Exchange (IX) Solutions
Guaranteed Compliance. High-Performance Ion Exchange Solutions
Envirogen offers tailored ion exchange (IX) solutions designed for diverse challenges—from traditional inorganics to emerging contaminants like PFAS and Hexavalent Chromium. Our technology-agnostic approach delivers value-engineered systems that exploit the specific attractions between contaminants and specialised resins to produce high-purity water.
We provide performance guarantees to reduce your risk and ensure reliable environmental management that aligns with both your regulatory and budgetary goals.
Ready to future-proof your water assets with a proven, automated IX solution?
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End-to-End Solutions: Engineering Efficiency Across the Full Lifecycle
When regulations tighten and budgets shrink, you need a partner with definitive experience. Envirogen provides cradle-to-grave technology and service solutions designed to ensure lasting operational and capital efficiencies. Our integrated approach to operations and maintenance (O&M) allows us to adapt to changing conditions for maximum reliability.
We deliver value-driven IX solutions across the full project lifecycle:
- Cooperative Design & Problem-Solving: We support customers in developing robust, customised solutions for complex applications, including potable drinking water and groundwater remediation.
- Design & Build: Custom, efficient, and reliable systems available as modular prefabricated designs delivered for quick, easy installation and start-up.
- Operations, Service, & Maintenance: Ensure continuity with comprehensive support, including full-time O&M staffing, routine contracts, and emergency response.
De-Risking Your Project: The Lifecycle Cost Assurance Program
Our systems are backed by a performance guarantee over the lifetime of the installation. To ensure your investment is future-proof, we employ pilot plant trials to rigorously stress-test processes and validate full-scale implementation before you break ground.
Advanced IX Systems for Every Flow Rate and Contaminant Challenge.
We offer a proven toolkit of IX solutions, ranging from high-volume regenerable systems to simplified single-pass options, to ensure you achieve compliance with the lowest Total Expenditure (TOTEX).
- Targeted Contaminant Removal: Our IX systems are acknowledged for over two decades as proven solutions for removing Nitrate, Perchlorate, Chlorate, Selenium, Arsenic, and PFAS/PFOS.
- The BPU Advantage: For metals like Hexavalent Chromium, we offer an optional Brine Processing Unit (BPU). This can drastically reduce operational costs and liability by converting hazardous liquid waste into stable, non-hazardous solids.
Advantages of Regenerable Ion Exchange Technology
Envirogen’s regenerable ion exchange systems (SimPACK and MinX) have been acknowledged for over two decades as a proven, cost-effective solutions for water treatment. Offering efficient and simple operation, these systems effectively remove various anionic contaminants such as hexavalent chromium, perchlorate, and nitrate, making them suitable for addressing complex treatment issues with a unified technology approach.
Innovative multi-bed system configuration:
- Automated sequencing: systems are sequenced in and out of service automatically using our proven process control software, ensuring very low waste rates.
- Flexible volume requirements: capable of meeting a wide range of volume requirements.
- Remote water monitoring communication system: Envirogen IX systems feature advanced remote monitoring, enabling real-time oversight and proactive management.
Envirogen regenerable IX system designs offer:
- More available bed volumes for treatment than traditional IX, at a lower operating cost.
- Modular prefabricated designs delivered for quick, easy installation and start-up.
- In many locations, the cost of contaminant removal is significantly influenced by consumables and waste handling. To address this, high-efficiency, multi-bed designs are employed. These aim to match waste rates with available disposal options while minimizing inputs of regenerant and waste products.
- Redundancy and control system capabilities that provide the data system set-point optimization needed to ensure quality effluent goals are continuously met while minimizing operating costs.
- Sensing, data logging, and remote communication capabilities to enable operators to review and attend the unit as needed either from a distance or on site.
With option for additional Brine Processing Unit (BPU):
- Minimize potentially hazardous nature of brine streams.
- Reduce overall volume of waste generated even further.
Three regenerable IX treatment options for metals:
Ion exchange water treatment systems: This diagram compares three options for treating metal-contaminated water. Regenerable IX systems are displayed as options 2 and 3, with the third option incorporating an additional brine processing unit (BPU). This addition offers extra operational expenditure savings (OPEX), making it the most economically advantageous and sustainable choice due to its non-hazardous waste brine outputs.
Maximising Efficiency Through N+3 and N+1 Configurations.
Envirogen’s regenerable systems (SimPACK and MinX) utilize a staggered mode process that sets them apart from traditional IX. Unlike standard systems that must shut down or switch to a single backup during regeneration, our multi-bed configuration ensures continuous treatment and superior resin utilisation.
Envirogen SimPACK systems
How Staggered Bed Design Works
- Influent Distribution: Influent flows simultaneously to all active beds. Each bed is at a different level of “breakthrough” (some may even be overloaded).
- Combined Effluent: The effluent from all active beds is combined. This ensures that the water from overloaded beds is diluted by the high-quality effluent from the other beds, consistently meeting effluent goals while exhausting the resin more completely.
- Cascade Regeneration: This process reuses water and brine from previous cycles, significantly enhancing efficiency and reducing waste products.
- Automated Sequencing: Systems are managed by a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) using proven process control software to minimize salt consumption and waste rates.
- SimPACK: N+3 Design (Flow Rates 400+ GPM) The SimPACK system features a 10-vessel configuration designed for large-scale, continuous treatment.
- The Benefit of N+3: Seven vessels are in operation (N=7), one is on standby, and two are undergoing regeneration. This provides a high degree of redundancy and ensures more available bed volumes for treatment than traditional IX, resulting in a lower operating cost per gallon.
- MinX: N+1 Design (Flow Rates 10-400 GPM) Designed for mid-range flows, the MinX system incorporates an N+1 configuration that balances performance with a compact footprint.
- The Benefit of N+1: Three vessels are in operation (N=3) while one is always in standby or regenerating. This design is ideal for space-restricted facilities or remote locations, offering the same automated efficiency and low waste rates as the larger SimPACK in a smaller, often containerized, package.
- Additional IX Options CleanPoint (Single-Pass): For low flow/low loading (10-500 GPM), this non-regenerable system simplifies O&M by disposing of media after exhaustion.
- EcoSave & EcoSoft: Industrial water softening systems (up to 225 GPM) delivering high-efficiency salt and water savings.
- Brine Processing Unit (BPU): An optional add-on that reduces waste volume and can convert hazardous brine into stable, non-hazardous solids, offering maximum OPEX savings.
Envirogen SimPACK N+3 staggered bed design
Click play on the animation to see a fly-by of the containerized version of the SimPACK system, including brine processing unit (BPU), two waste tanks, prefiltration, and ten (10) regenerable IX vessels.
MinX (for flow rates 10-400 GPM) – Regenerable IX
Designed to treat contaminated water at flow rates between 10 and 400 gpm, MinX regenerable ion exchange technology incorporates an N+1 multi-bed design operated in a staggered mode process. In this design, “N” represents the number of ion exchange vessels required to be online, ensuring that while active beds are treating water, one vessel is always in standby or undergoing regeneration.
N+1 Staggered Bed Design
- N+1 Design: Three vessels are in operation, one is regenerating or in standby.
- Influent Distribution: Influent flows to beds 1-3, with each bed at different levels of breakthrough (some may be overloaded).
- Combined Effluent: The combined effluent ensures that the effluent from overloaded beds is diluted by the effluent from other beds.
- Cascade Regeneration: This process involves the reuse of water and brine, enhancing efficiency and reducing waste.
Envirogen MinX N+1 staggered bed ion exchange system design
The MinX system can be installed within a building or housed in an engineered shipping container for direct delivery to the site, offering protection from weather and tampering. Its compact and automated design makes it especially suitable for space-restricted treatment facilities and remote locations. Advanced control logic further enhances the system’s efficiency, minimizing waste rates and salt/brine consumption.
An Envirogen MinX regen IX system, delivered as a containerized solution
In addition, we offer a range of standard water softening units, including:
- EcoSoft: Cost-effective industrial water softener systems for reducing water hardness to less than 4ppm with flowrates between 2-100gpm.
- EcoSave: High-efficiency water softening system using counter-current IX technology to deliver salt and water savings with flow rates between 40-225gpm.
Single-Pass Ion Exchange
CleanPoint: Non-regenerable IX option for low flow rates (0-500 gpm)
Envirogen offers the CleanPoint non-regenerable ion exchange system, designed for low- to moderate flow applications. These modular or skidded systems are highly adaptable to specific needs and are ideal for point of entry (PoE) applications, or where low contaminant loading levels are anticipated. Featuring non-regenerable ion exchange media, this media is disposed of after exhaustion, simplifying operations and maintenance. These systems are also fully automated to minimize operator attention required.
Envirogen Life Cyle Cost Assurance Programs
For ongoing peace of mind, our systems are backed by a performance guarantee over the lifetime of the regenerable IX system installation, creating the best opportunity for an optimized life-cycle cost. This manages the risk of non-compliance and allows clients to focus on their core business.
Envirogen has over 20 years of turnkey design, installation, and operations and maintenance (O&M) experience with dewatering and groundwater turn-key remediation projects at more than 100 sites. Our integrated O&M offering includes engineering, process, treatability, and other technical services as important components. This commitment of technical expertise in support of O&M allows us to be flexible to adapt to changing conditions for maximum reliability.
It’s important to note that life-cycle costs are site-specific, highly dependent on flow rate, type of operation, and water chemistry. This context underlines the importance of our flexible approach, allowing us to meet the unique needs of each site and maintain compliance over time.
Projects That Deliver: Guaranteed Outcomes and Proven Savings
Our commitment to guaranteed outcomes is backed by over 20 years of turnkey design and O&M experience at more than 100 sites.
- Pioneering Cr(VI) Success: Since 2015, Envirogen’s SimPACK technology has provided reliable, compliant treatment for California Water Service, treating groundwater to well below the 10 μg/L target for Hexavalent Chromium.
- Nitrate Treatment Expertise: We have successfully implemented nitrate removal solutions for the City of San Fernando, City of Modesto, and Monte Vista Water District.
- Smart O&M: Our systems feature advanced remote monitoring and automated sequencing, enabling real-time oversight and proactive management with low-touch O&M.
The Path to Sustainable Compliance Starts Here
Discover how our focus on Lifecycle Costs (TOTEX) and advanced ion exchange technology can help your facility save energy, water, waste, and money. Take the next step with our expert team to solve your complex water quality and regulatory challenges.
Contact Us Today for a Free Consultation
North America Head Office
Envirogen Technologies
700 Rockmead Drive, Suite 100
Kingwood, TX
77339
T: 877 312 8950
United Kingdom Head Office
Envirogen Group
Unit 9, Wimsey Way
Alfreton Trading Estate
Alfreton, DE55 4LS
T: +44 (0) 1773 441029
Europe Head Office
Envirogen Technologies bv
Penningweg 71
1507 DG Zaandam
The Netherlands
T: +31 75 204 7200