How to Clean DI Resin

Deionized resin, or DI resin, is an essential component in the deionization process. The resin is able to bind to and filter out mineral salts, including sodium and copper, thus cleaning water. The filtration process is used anywhere people require high-purity water, including laboratories and fish aquariums. With use, the DI resin will eventually become exhausted and dirty. However, you can recharge and clean your DI resin with chemical baths.

Things You'll Need

  • Rubber gloves
  • Safety goggles
  • Reverse-osmosis deionized water
  • 16 oz. glass bottle with lid
  • Lye
  • Bucket
  • 64 oz. glass container
  • Plastic or wooden stick
  • Turkey baster
  • Coffee filter
  • Sealing storage container
  • Muriatic acid
  • RO/DI water
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Instructions

    • 1

      Pour 11 oz. of reverse-osmosis deionized water into a 16 oz. glass bottle. Add 3 oz. of lye. Make sure to pour the water in the bottle first, before the lye, to avoid unwanted splashing of the chemical. Seal the bottle with its lid.

    • 2

      Place the glass bottle holding the solution into a bucket of ice-cold water. Gently shake the glass bottle and its solution to ensure that the lye doesn't settle on the bottom. Mixing lye and water creates heat, so this step will ensure it's cool enough to work with. Leave the bottle in the ice water for 15 minutes.

    • 3

      Put the dirty DI resin you wish to clean in a 64 oz. glass container. Pour the cooled lye solution into this container.

    • 4

      Stir the resin and the lye solution together using a plastic or wooden stick. The lye should be evenly dispersed among the resin. Let the mixture sit for five minutes. The DI resins will separate, with the cleaned and charged resins floating to the top. The completely exhausted and dirty resin, which can no longer be used in this state, will sink to the bottom.

    • 5

      Collect the cleaned and charged resin from the surface of the solution using a turkey baster.

    • 6

      Put the cleaned resin into a coffee filter. Run RO/DI water over the resin to completely remove the lye solution. It is now ready for use. Store it in a secure glass container and put it aside.

    • 7

      Separate the exhausted resin from the lye solution using a turkey baster. Place it in a coffee filter and thoroughly wash off any lye solution. Place the cleaned resin in a 64 oz. glass bottle.

    • 8

      Mix 6 oz. of muriatic acid with 6 ounce of RO/DI water in a 16 oz. glass bottle.

    • 9

      Pour the acid solution into the 64 oz. bottle holding the exhausted resin. Mix it with a stirring stick. Let the solution sit for one hour. The color of the DI resin should change to purple, meaning that it's recharged and clean.

    • 10

      Collect the newly-cleaned DI resin from the bottle. Wash the resin with RO/DI water in a coffee filter to ensure you remove all of the acid solution. This resin is now clean and ready for use. Store it in a secure container until you're ready to use it.