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TECHNOLOGY OVERVIEW:
Purity Systems Inc. are manufacturers of ion exchange resin products that are different and superior, in many applications, to the styrene and similar resins manufactured by the large multi-national resin producers.
The PSI patented technology is built around silica-polyamine composite materials that offer unique advantages as a scaffolding building base to attach varied metal ion removal materials in order to achieve selectivity for the target metals.
The polymer coating on the silica base material itself offers many advantages in the liquid-liquid extraction process such as:
The water solubility of the polymer is important from an environmental standpoint as it negates the use of highly toxic organic solvents in reactions involving the polymer. Many of the ligand addition reactions carried out to date have been done in water, methyl alcohol or a mixture of the two. Another critical environmental factor is that these materials can be used to extract the metal atoms, ions and complexes directly from aqueous media without first extracting them out into a highly toxic, often flammable organic phase first, such as done in solvent extraction. The use of water-soluble polymers allows for faster capture kinetics and the integrated chelating agents are a result of the ease of modification of the basic composite material.
The polyamines used to synthesize PSI products are high in amine nitrogen’s. These nitrogen’s are incorporated into the polymer through the chemically robust carbon - nitrogen bonds that have the ability to withstand the conditions likely encountered during most metal extraction processes. The sheer density of the nitrogen atoms coupled with the conformational freedom afforded through their incorporation into a water soluble polymer makes this arrangement particularly effective at removing contaminant metals from aqueous solutions.
The robust carbon - nitrogen bonding is essential in impacting the physical stability of the material. This stability is entirely dependent on the nature of the chemical bonds holding the material together, and it is this allows PSI the flexibility to modify and customize ligand substituents for special applications.
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CuWRAM® is a selective resin designed for copper recovery from low process liquor pH while rejecting ferric iron.
CuWRAM Product and MSDS Data Sheets are available in PDF Format 
CuWRAM® PRODUCT DATA SHEET
CuWRAM® MATERIAL SAFETY DATA SHEET (MSDS)
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WP-1® is a resin designed for general transition metals processing applications and differs from the remainder of the Purity Systems Inc. product range in that it requires replacement of OH - ions on the resin by regeneration with ammonia solution.
The resin, as is common with all of the Purity Systems Inc. range, is centered on the rejection of sodium, potassium and calcium +2 ions.
The WP-1® resin will load Cu +2, Ni +2, Co +2, Zn +2, Fe +2, Fe +3, Mn +2 and Al +3 from process liquors in the pH range of 3 to 10 and is especially effective where dissolved chelators, such as EDTA, are present in the feed liquor.
Separation of the loaded metals may be possible, depending on the client objectives, to enable many environmental clean-up projects to be cash flow positive through the recovery and sale of high purity value metals.
Resin performance and selectivity, in a mixed metals matrix, may vary according to the composition and tenors of the liquor being treated together with the pH and the actual process conditions under which the resin will be used. We recommend testing on the actual process liquor in order to assess resin suitability for the client application.
Long Resin Lifetimes:
WP-1 after 10,000 cycles of being loaded with copper, stripped with 20% H2SO4 and regenerated with base rinse.
Traditionally styrene resin replacement estimates have been based on estimated service years or when the static capacity losses reached 20 to 35 percent of the original capacity. Michael Gottlieb presented a comprehensive paper (PREDICTING THE OPERATING CAPACITY OF STRONGLY BASIC ANION RESINS FROM STATIC LABORATORY TESTS) at the 1997 Water Quality Association Conference that works through some of the issues that need addressing when using this approach.
Apart from losses in operating capacity there are many process specific factors that impact in a very significant way on ion exchange resin life expectancy including, but by no means limited to,:
Suspended Solids:
Suspended solids may be introduced as a result of their levels in the feed liquor or, alternatively, by chemical reactions due to solution chemistry occurring within the vessel itself.
Resin Fouling:
Fouling can occur when oils, grease, fats, proteins, tannin or nitrogenous matter is introduced into the vessel. Humic and fulvic acids can irreversibly foul normal anion resin types. Biological growth, over time, can also have an impact of resin life span. Iron and aluminium may also impact negatively for some resin types.
Resin Physical Degradation:
Resins are subjected to physical strain within the vessels due pressure drops that are a function of flows, resin bead size and vessel dimensions. Cracking and breaking may occur due to foulants exerting physical strains on the resin beads. The expansion and contraction of the bed, a common phenomena with styrene resins and the frequency and length of backwashing are also factors. With resin-in-pulp (RIP) systems shattering of the resin beads may occur due to the use of turbine pumps.
Process Solution Chemistry:
pH, feed liquor temperature, cycle times, elution reagent and strength all may have a significant effect on the resin life span.
All Purity Systems Inc. resins are designed to:
WP-1® Product and MSDS Data Sheets are available in PDF Format
WP-1® PRODUCT DATA SHEET
WP-1® MATERIAL SAFETY DATA SHEET (MSDS)
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WP-2® is a resin designed for metals removal applications from acidic process liquors.
The resin, as is common with all of the Purity Systems Inc. range, is centered on the rejection of sodium, potassium and calcium +2 ions.
The resin has similar elemental selectivity as WP-1® and is ideally suited for treatment of many mining process liquors, for example bacterial heap leach liquors, and aggressive process streams such as those found in pickling waste processes and similar acidic environments.
Resin performance and selectivity, in a mixed metals matrix, may vary according to the composition and tenors of the liquor being treated together with the pH and the actual process conditions under which the resin will be used. We recommend testing on the actual process liquor in order to assess resin suitability for the client application.
Additional resins are under development, or in the process of further assessment to see if they may have a commercial future, and will be released on the market as available.
WP-2 Product and MSDS Data Sheets are available in PDF Format
WP-2® PRODUCT DATA SHEET
WP-2® MATERIAL SAFETY DATA SHEET (MSDS)
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