Removal of bromide and natural organic matter by anion exchange

Bromide removal by anion exchange was explored for various water qualities, process configurations, and resin characteristics. Simulated natural waters containing different amounts of natural organic matter (NOM), bicarbonate, chloride, and bromide were treated with a polyacrylate-based magnetic ion exchange (MIEX) resin on a batch basis to evaluate the effectiveness of the resin for removal of bromide. While bromide removal was achieved to some degree, alkalinity (bicarbonate), dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and chloride were shown to inhibit bromide removal in waters with bromide concentrations of 100 and 300 microg/L. Water was also treated using a two-stage batch MIEX process. Two-stage treatment resulted in only a slight improvement in bromide removal compared to single-stage treatment, presumably due to competition with the high concentration of chloride which is present along with bromide in natural waters. In view of the relatively poor bromide removal results for the MIEX resin, a limited set of experiments was performed using polystyrene resins. DOC and bromide removal were compared by treating model waters with MIEX and two polystyrene resins, Ionac A-641 and Amberlite IRA910. The two polystyrene resins were seen to be more effective for bromide removal, while the MIEX resin was more effective at removing DOC.