Media regeneration

[Anonymous]

I'm a cheapo and would like to know what and how media could be regenerated after use. Carbon? I've heard some phos removers can be regenerated a couple of times but why not indefinitely? How about other types of expensive media? This could be a significant money-saving thread if any of you chemists or experts wouldn't mind weighing in.

 

[cindre2000]

As far as I know the two main types of readably regeneratable media are purigen (carbon substitute by SeaChem) and DI resin. The main reason most media is not regeneratable is because a chemical reaction takes place that bonds the chemical it removes to the media. You then would have to break that bond. In some cases that means you remove the top layer, thus giving you less and less media per recharge, or in the case of the afore mentioned two, you are washing out the particles that the media traps. Each time you recharge you do not have a perfect recharge- lets say you remove 85% of the clogged media. That means the media gets clogged 15% faster and then again an even larger portion is trapped to the point that you can not remove it.

In the end, recharging media is nice; however, it is often a hassle and often infeasible (due to chemical change or cost).

 

[Anonymous]

Thank you cindre2000 for your reply. I was hoping those bonds could be broken by an acid or base soak, a heat treatment, or something else a doityourselfer could manage. I was also hoping more people would weigh in on the subject, but lately I get limited responses topside. Thanks for your response.

 

[cindre2000]

Purigen works by soaking in bleach. DI resin works by soaking in acid and a base (depending on whether it is a cation of anion). I have not heard of any other regenerate-able medias and how to do it.