Water softening compositions
AssigneeCompass Minerals America Inc.
InventorsGeoffrey A. Brown, Kristopher Lee Shelite, Darlene R. Linscott, Jerry L. Poe
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Abstract
Novel water softening products and methods of treating hard water are provided. The products comprise a salt and a metal chelating agent. The products are useful for regenerating ion exchange material in a water softening system and providing softened water containing both sodium and potassium ions, while having dramatically increased efficiencies over prior art products.
Claims5
A product capable of regenerating an ion exchange material in a water softening system by replenishing said ion exchange material with sodium and/or potassium ions and removing calcium and/or magnesium ions from said ion exchange material, said product consisting essentially of a metal chelating agent intermixed with a salt, wherein:
- said metal chelating agent is selected from the group consisting of sodium citrate, potassium citrate, sodium succinate, potassium succinate, aspartate, maleate, ethylenediamine tetraacetate, ethylene glycol tetraacetate, polymerized amino acids, 1,2-bis(o-aminophenoxy)ethane-N,N,N′,N′-tetraacetate, sulfonated polycarboxylate copolymers, polymethacrylate, and mixtures thereof, and is present at levels of less than about 75 ppm, based on said salt;
- and
- said salt is selected from the group consisting of NaCl, KCl, K2SO4, NaHCO3, Na2SO4, NaH2PO4, KHCO3, KH2PO4, K2HPO4, K3PO4, Na3PO4, Na2CO3, K2CO3, and mixtures thereof,
- said product being a solid.
An aqueous dispersion or solution capable of regenerating an ion exchange material in a water softening system by replenishing said ion exchange material with sodium and/or potassium ions and removing calcium and/or magnesium ions from said ion exchange material, said aqueous dispersion or solution consisting essentially of a metal chelating agent and a salt, wherein:
- said metal chelating agent is selected from the group consisting of sodium citrate, potassium citrate, sodium succinate, potassium succinate, aspartate, maleate, ethylenediamine tetraacetate, ethylene glycol tetraacetate, polymerized amino acids, 1,2-bis(o-aminophenoxy)ethane-N,N,N′,N′-tetraacetate, sulfonated polycarboxylate copolymers, polymethacrylate, and mixtures thereof, and is present at levels of less than about 75 ppm, based on said salt;
- and
- said salt is selected from the group consisting of NaCl, KCl, K2SO4, NaHCO3, Na2SO4, NaH2PO4, KHCO3, KH2PO4, K2HPO4, K3PO4, Na3PO4, Na2CO3, K2CO3, and mixtures thereof.
A product capable of regenerating an ion exchange material in a water softening system by replenishing said ion exchange material with sodium and/or potassium ions and removing calcium and/or magnesium ions from said ion exchange material, said product consisting essentially of a metal chelating agent intermixed with a salt, wherein:
- said metal chelating agent is selected from the group consisting of sodium citrate, potassium citrate, sodium succinate, potassium succinate, aspartate, maleate, ethylene glycol tetraacetate, polymerized amino acids, 1,2-bis(o-aminophenoxy)ethane-N,N,N′,N′-tetraacetate, sulfonated polycarboxylate copolymers, polymethacrylate, and mixtures thereof, and is present at levels of less than about 75 ppm, based on said salt;
- and
- said salt is selected from the group consisting of NaCl, KCl, K2SO4, NaHCO3, Na2SO4, NaH2PO4, KHCO3, KH2PO4, K2HPO4, K3PO4, Na3PO4, Na2CO3, K2CO3, and mixtures thereof,
- said product being a solid.
A product capable of regenerating an ion exchange material in a water softening system by replenishing said ion exchange material with sodium and/or potassium ions and removing calcium and/or magnesium ions from said ion exchange material, said product consisting essentially of a metal chelating agent intermixed with a salt, wherein:
- said metal chelating agent is selected from the group consisting of sodium citrate, potassium citrate, sodium succinate, potassium succinate, aspartate, maleate, ethylenediamine tetraacetate, ethylene glycol tetraacetate, polymerized amino acids, 1,2-bis(o-aminophenoxy)ethane-N,N,N′,N′-tetraacetate, sulfonated polycarboxylate copolymers, polymethacrylate, and mixtures thereof, and is present at levels of less than about 75 ppm, based on said salt;
- and
- said salt is selected from the group consisting of K2SO4, NaHCO3, Na2SO4, NaH2PO4, KHCO3, KH2PO4, K2HPO4, K3PO4, Na3PO4, Na2CO3, K2CO3, and mixtures thereof,
- said product being a solid.
An aqueous dispersion or solution capable of regenerating an ion exchange material in a water softening system by replenishing said ion exchange material with sodium and/or potassium ions and removing calcium and/or magnesium ions from said ion exchange material, said aqueous dispersion or solution consisting essentially of a metal chelating agent and a salt, wherein:
- said metal chelating agent is selected from the group consisting of sodium citrate, potassium citrate, sodium succinate, potassium succinate, aspartate, maleate, ethylenediamine tetraacetate, ethylene glycol tetraacetate, polymerized amino acids, 1,2-bis(o-aminophenoxy)ethane-N,N,N′,N′-tetraacetate, sulfonated polycarboxylate copolymers, polymethacrylate, and mixtures thereof, and is present at levels of less than about 75 ppm, based on said salt;
- and
- said salt is selected from the group consisting of K2SO4, NaHCO3, Na2SO4, NaH2PO4, KHCO3, KH2PO4, K2HPO4, K3PO4, Na3PO4, Na2CO3, K2CO3, and mixtures thereof.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.