KOVALEN: Jurnal Riset Kimia
Vol. 11 No. 2 (2025): December Edition

Effect of Column Diameter on the Performance of an Ion Exchange System in Reducing Water Hardness

Rawati, Widya Yeni (Unknown)
Sunardi (Unknown)
Widarti, Sri (Unknown)
Sumarja (Unknown)
Nur Alim, Muhammad (Unknown)



Article Info

Publish Date
05 Jan 2026

Abstract

Ion exchange is an effective method for removing hardness ions such as Ca2+ and Mg2+ from water, and its performance is strongly influenced by column design parameters. This study aims to evaluate the effect of column diameter on the efficiency of a sequentially operated cation–anion ion exchange system at a constant flow rate of 10 L/h. Six column diameters (20, 25, 30, 35, 40, and 50 mm) were tested using synthetic solutions. The results showed that the 30 mm column achieved the highest ion-exchange performance, with a removal efficiency of 92.47%. This column also produced the most well-defined breakthrough curve, yielding an exchange capacity of 8.76 mg/g, equivalent to 0.437 meq/g for Ca2+ and 0.720 meq/g for Mg2+. These findings indicate that the 30 mm diameter provides an optimal balance between contact time and flow distribution, resulting in superior ion exchange efficiency.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

kovalen

Publisher

Subject

Chemical Engineering, Chemistry & Bioengineering Chemistry

Description

KOVALEN: Jurnal Riset Kimia is a peer-reviewed journal of chemistry published by the Tadulako University, Indonesia. This journal concern with publishing the original research articles, review articles, and the current issues related to chemistry. Publishing frequency 3 issues per year, in April, ...