This section provides an overview for deionizers as well as their applications and principles. Also, please take a look at the list of 14 deionizer manufacturers and their company rankings. Here are the top-ranked deionizer companies as of December, 2024: 1.Evoqua Water Technologies LLC, 2.Smith & Loveless Inc., 3.Pure Aqua, Inc..
Table of Contents
A deionizer is a device used to remove ions dissolved in water and produce pure water.
Impurities such as calcium ions, sodium ions (cation), sulfate ions (anion), among others, are dissolved in water. A deionizer is a device that utilizes ion exchange resins, ion exchange membranes, direct current, and other methods to electrically remove ions from water.
Deionizers are used when the presence of ion species in water becomes problematic, and there is a need to remove these ion species.
Common impurities found in water include salts such as calcium, sodium, and silica, which are dissolved as ion species. The presence of ion species in water can lead to instability in the chemical properties and quality of products when used as raw materials. During evaporation of water used in cleaning, impurities may precipitate and adhere as scale. In boilers and pipelines, the occurrence of scale can lead to blockages, posing an issue that needs to be avoided.
In research and development, deionizers are primarily used in biology, chemistry, and other fields to enhance the reliability and reproducibility of experiments and instrument cleaning. In industrial applications, deionizers find use in various scenarios:
Deionizers use the principles of ion separation and adsorption using ion exchange resins and ion exchange membranes. There are devices that employ mechanisms such as Electro Deionization (EDI) and Continuous Deionization (CDI®).
Ion exchange resin is a synthetic resin with ion exchange groups. It captures cations and anions, impurities in water, releasing hydrogen ions and hydroxide ions originally bound to the resin.
An ion exchange membrane is an ion-permeable membrane with the property of selectively allowing or blocking ions based on the charge of the ions.
Electro deionization (EDI) is a technology that separates and removes cations and anions in water by passing an electric current through water using ion exchange resins and ion exchange membranes. The device has a structure with desalting chambers and concentration chambers arranged alternately between an anode and a cathode. The desalting chamber and concentration chamber are separated by cation exchange membranes and anion exchange membranes. The desalting chamber is filled with ion exchange resin.
When a current flows from the electrode, anions such as chloride ions and sulfate ions move to the anode side, and cations such as sodium ions and calcium ions move to the cathode side. In the desalting chamber, which is filled with ion exchange resin, pure water is produced through the adsorption of impurity ions and the release of hydroxide ions and hydrogen ions. Simultaneously, by allowing impurity ions to pass through cation exchange membranes and anion exchange membranes, concentration of impurity ions occurs in the concentration chamber.
In EDI, the desalting chamber simultaneously performs desalting using ion exchange resin and continuous regeneration of ion exchange resin by direct current. In the usual ion exchange method, regeneration of ion exchange resin using chemicals is necessary, but in EDI, regeneration of ion exchange resin is continuously carried out by direct current, maintaining ion removal performance for an extended period.
There are various types of deionizers for industrial and research purposes, varying in size to suit different applications. On the functional side, some devices use activated carbon to prevent scaling and improve resin regeneration efficiency.
One notable type of device is the CDI system. CDI, a mechanism licensed by IONPURE® in the United States, is also known as a Continuous Deionization system. In CDI devices, ion exchange resin is filled in both the desalting chamber and the concentration chamber, resulting in high ion movement efficiency. Regeneration of resin is achieved by continuously regenerating ion exchange resin with high-pressure electricity. This allows for the continuous production of pure water without the use of chemical agents for resin regeneration, contributing to reduced environmental impact, space savings, and a zero-discharge system.
*Including some distributors, etc.
Sort by Features
Sort by Area
Reynolds Culligan was founded in 1950 and headquartered in West Reading, Pennsylvania. The company is a service provider of clean water to residential, commercial, and industrial customers in industries such as food & beverage, powder coating, healthcare, and manufacturing. The company’s residential services include bottled water distribution. The company’s commercial products include deionizer systems, water softening systems, filters, and dealkalizer systems. The company’s industrial solutions also include ultrapure water systems, reverse osmosis, and ultraviolet water treatment.
Evoqua Water Technologies began in 2013 and is headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The company is a manufacturer and service provider of water and wastewater treatment systems, serving commercial, industrial, and municipal water treatment customers both in the United States and globally. The company’s two operating segments are Integrated Solutions and Services, and Applied Product Technologies. The former provides water service contracts providing water cleaning services including odor and corrosion control services. The latter sells advanced filtration products including self-cleaning filters, disinfection solutions, and non-chemical disinfection products.
Pure Aqua Inc., founded in the United States since 2001, is a manufacturer and supplier of advanced water treatment solutions. Specializing in custom-engineered systems, the company serves a wide range of industries, including desalination, wastewater, and residential applications. Their global presence ensures seamless access to its wide-range products and services. They design and manufacture commercial and industrial reverse osmosis (RO) water treatment and purification systems with over 9,000 water purification systems built, including 2,000 customized systems. Their systems generates over 200 million gallon of purified water every day for more than 3,000 customers worldwide in over 200 countries.
3M Company was founded in 1902 and is headquartered in St. Paul, Minnesota. 3M provides diversified technology services globally. 3M operates through four segments: Safety and Industrial, Transportation and Electronics, Health Care, and Consumer. The Safety and Industrial segment offerings include industrial abrasives, masking, and natural and color-coated mineral granules for shingles. The Transportation and Electronics segment offerings include ceramic solutions, light management films, and electronics assembly solutions. The Healthcare segment offerings include wound care, dentistry and orthodontia solutions, and filtration and purification systems. The Consumer segment offerings include consumer bandages, picture hanging, and stationery products.
Smith & Loveless Inc., founded in 1946 and headquartered in Kansas City, is a manufacturer of water and wastewater treatment solutions. The company specializes in the design and production of pumping systems, grit removal equipment, and membrane bioreactor systems. It caters to municipalities, industries, and utilities globally, ensuring efficient water management. The company's products are known for its technology and adherence to rigorous ISO standards. It also ensures customer satisfaction by offering after-sales service and technical support to meet diverse project requirements.
Culligan is an NSF, WQA, and EPA-certified manufacturer of water treatment products established in 1936 in Rosemont, Illinois, USA. The company’s products include reverse osmosis and iron water filters, as well as portable and high efficiency-type water softeners. It also offers bottleless water coolers such as countertop and point-of-use models, and customer services such as equipment repair and maintenance of its products. The company’s products are mainly used by clients in the healthcare, hospitality, and education sectors.
Serfilco is a manufacturer of liquid handling and filtration products that was established in 1961 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. The company’s product lineup includes filtration systems such as carbon and cartridge models, agitation products such as air spargers and eductors, and various pumps, including sealless and self-priming models. It also offers filtration media, such as resin and discs, and liquid handling add-ons, including flow meters and level controls. The company’s products are used in the industrial processing sector.
Cleaver-Brooks Company is a manufacturer of boiler room products and related equipment that was established in Thomasville, Georgia, USA, in 1929. The company primarily produces steam and hot water generation products. These products include water- and firetube boilers, waste heat boilers for recovering wasted heat from exhaust gasses, and electric boilers for low-noise and clean applications. It also offers low-NOx burners and economizers for improving boiler efficiency. The company’s products are used mainly by biofuel refineries, chemical processing plants, and power generation facilities.
Sartorius AG, started in 1870 and headquartered in Göttingen, Germany, is a manufacturer and supplier of lab products and bioprocess solutions. It is the parent company of the Sartorius Group and provides instruments, consumables, and services for chemical, biopharmaceutical, and academic set-ups. The company sells its products under several brand names, such as Cubis, Ambr, and Flexsafe, and provides services like bioprocess consulting, biologics testing, and instrument service. It is available in over 60 countries and is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange with preference and ordinary shares. It operates two divisions, namely bioprocess solutions and lab products and services.
Watts was established in 1874 and is a manufacturer of water management products based in North Andover, Massachusetts, United States. The company offers various water solutions products such as automatic control valves, gas connection systems, pressure reducting valves, water quality parts, and high purity process piping systems. The products have been used for serving various industries such as healthcare, agriculture, hospitality, commercial, and municipal waterworks. The products have been created under compliance of CSA, NSF International, WQA, BSI, and AGA manufacturing standards.
Graver Water Systems is based in Greenwich, Connecticut, USA, and is a manufacturer and supplier of water treatment equipment that was established in 1934 as a division of Graver Tank & Manufacturing Co. The company’s product lineup includes boiler feedwater systems for treating war water for use in industrial boilers or power plants, condensate polishing systems for removing impurities from condensate in chemical or refining processes, and produced water systems for treating water byproducts from gas or oil wells. The company is ISO 9001:2015-certified, and mainly serves clients in industrial processing operations.
Enting Water Conditioning Inc., established in 1965 and headquartered in Dayton, Ohio, United States, is a designer, manufacturer, and supplier of water conditioning equipment and systems. The company provides solutions for residential drinking water, public drinking water, and industrial water conditioning systems. Its products include hydrogen sulfide filters, UV disinfection systems, and whole-house carbon filters. Its products are available to consumers through its distributors, and it welcomes inquiries from industrial clients for consultation on custom large-scale water softening and filtration systems. Its services include the sale of spare parts and consumables and the maintenance of its products.
Ranking as of December 2024
Derivation MethodRank | Company | Click Share |
---|---|---|
1 | Evoqua Water Technologies LLC |
60.0%
|
2 | Smith & Loveless Inc. |
20.0%
|
3 | Pure Aqua, Inc. |
20.0%
|
Derivation Method
The ranking is calculated based on the click share within the deionizer page as of December 2024. Click share is defined as the total number of clicks for all companies during the period divided by the number of clicks for each company.Number of Employees
Newly Established Company
Company with a History
*Including some distributors, etc.
*Including some distributors, etc.
Country | Number of Companies | Share (%) |
---|---|---|
United States of America | 8 | 100.0% |