Environmental Impact of DI Resin

[Mike N]

As I was doing my weekly DI resin change-out, I thought about what happens to these little spent beads after they're thrown away.
I remember hearing about negative consequences of the little exfoliating beads used in body washes and scrubs a few years ago. Are these DI beads a similar nuisance to the environment?
Do they ever degrade?
Is there a better way to dispose of them?

 

[hllb]

It's a fair question. There could be an issue (I don't know much about it) but it wouldn't be the same issue as the beads in hand soaps as we aren't washing these down the drain (at least I'm not). Mine goes out with the trash. So I wonder what issue they're causing in landfills...

 

[Mike N]

It's a fair question. There could be an issue (I don't know much about it) but it wouldn't be the same issue as the beads in hand soaps as we aren't washing these down the drain (at least I'm not). Mine goes out with the trash. So I wonder what issue they're causing in landfills...

Thanks for the reply.
There are many brands that have the beads mixed in with the soap, so they do indeed go down the drain.

 

[hllb]

Thanks for the reply.
There are many brands that have the beads mixed in with the soap, so they do indeed go down the drain.

No, I meant the DI resin. When I empty mine, it's not going down the drain. All the environmental issues I've read about with the microbeads are around them going into the sewer/water supply and causing issues.

 

[Mike N]

No, I meant the DI resin. When I empty mine, it's not going down the drain. All the environmental issues I've read about with the microbeads are around them going into the sewer/water supply and causing issues.

Oh, gotcha. For the record, so do I.
Water supply vs landfill is probably an important distinction here.

 

[piranhaman00]

I also wonder about this. I love the hobby but also love the environment and this hobby is not eco friendly at all.

 

[adobo]

... and this hobby is not eco friendly at all.

Compared to what?

 

[hllb]

Society is not eco-friendly in general. At least not here in the US. And I'll admit, I'm one that needs to be forced into it because I tend to take the easy way out...

 

[creativeballance]

Society is not eco-friendly in general. At least not here in the US. And I'll admit, I'm one that needs to be forced into it because I tend to take the easy way out...

Have you seen the trash and pollution in other countries that is literally EVERYWHERE? I've been to Asia and Central / South America, and there is trash everywhere! Ive seen photos of West Africa from my moms trips there. Americans are 100x better about getting their trash to a landfil than the vast majority of other countries.

 

[hllb]

Have you seen the trash and pollution in other countries that is literally EVERYWHERE? I've been to Asia and Central / South America, and there is trash everywhere! Ive seen photos of West Africa from my moms trips there. Americans are 100x better about getting their trash to a landfil than the vast majority of other countries.

Well, I guess I'm thinking more about first world countries - Europe, Korea, Japan, Australia. They are significantly better, from what I've seen. But it's not just about recycling, it's about the crazy amount of single use products we have.

 

[piranhaman00]

Compared to what?

Taking an afternoon stroll on the beach picking up trash.

 

[adobo]

Taking an afternoon stroll on the beach picking up trash.

I dunno. Picking up trash is good and all. But what will you learn in the process that will continue to pay dividends down the road?

People who keep reef tanks gain a keen awareness of how delicate water is. How just a little bit of pollution can severely impact an ecosystem. We also gain an awareness of better ways to handle our most precious natural resource - water. (Anybody still buying bottled water from the grocery store or costco since you got your RO system? You want to talk about non-eco friendly, bottled water is the poster boy for that.)

For all of the supposed harm we hobbyist inflict on nature by pursuing our hobby (and I not clear on what this harm is), most return benefits back to nature as people tend to protect those things they love.

 

[JoshH]

As I was doing my weekly DI resin change-out, I thought about what happens to these little spent beads after they're thrown away.
I remember hearing about negative consequences of the little exfoliating beads used in body washes and scrubs a few years ago. Are these DI beads a similar nuisance to the environment?
Do they ever degrade?
Is there a better way to dispose of them?

Weekly DI resin change out? How much water are you making????

 

[topjimmy]

As I was doing my weekly DI resin change-out, I thought about what happens to these little spent beads after they're thrown away.
I remember hearing about negative consequences of the little exfoliating beads used in body washes and scrubs a few years ago. Are these DI beads a similar nuisance to the environment?
Do they ever degrade?
Is there a better way to dispose of them?

Regeneration is easy and can be done many,many times.

 

[laverda]

As I was doing my weekly DI resin change-out, I thought about what happens to these little spent beads after they're thrown away.
I remember hearing about negative consequences of the little exfoliating beads used in body washes and scrubs a few years ago. Are these DI beads a similar nuisance to the environment?
Do they ever degrade?
Is there a better way to dispose of them?

I can not imagine why you would change your resin weekly. If you are doing it that often have you considered recharging it? Sadly, I don’t know the answer to how harmful or not it is the the environment. It would be harmful to my wallet if I was changing it weekly!

 

[jRatanak]

I dunno. Picking up trash is good and all. But what will you learn in the process that will continue to pay dividends down the road?

People who keep reef tanks gain a keen awareness of how delicate water is. How just a little bit of pollution can severely impact an ecosystem. We also gain an awareness of better ways to handle our most precious natural resource - water. (Anybody still buying bottled water from the grocery store or costco since you got your RO system? You want to talk about non-eco friendly, bottled water is the poster boy for that.)

For all of the supposed harm we hobbyist inflict on nature by pursuing our hobby (and I not clear on what this harm is), most return benefits back to nature as people tend to protect those things they love.

Just because the hobby may help us find a deeper appreciation for the natural world doesn't take away the fact that it really is a wasteful use of resources. The hobby in itself is 100% a luxury that none of us need to partake in, and the additional energy usage of equipment running 24/7 is a good example of one way the hobby is adversely effective to the environment (unless you run your house on solar I suppose). Obviously I partake in the hobby, so I'm not trying to talk down to anyone or anything, but we gotta keep in mind that this isn't an environmentally friendly activity

 

[topjimmy]

Just because the hobby may help us find a deeper appreciation for the natural world doesn't take away the fact that it really is a wasteful use of resources. The hobby in itself is 100% a luxury that none of us need to partake in, and the additional energy usage of equipment running 24/7 is a good example of one way the hobby is adversely effective to the environment (unless you run your house on solar I suppose). Obviously I partake in the hobby, so I'm not trying to talk down to anyone or anything, but we gotta keep in mind that this isn't an environmentally friendly activity

Think about each tank as a little Noah's Arc.

 

[jRatanak]

Think about each tank as a little Noah's Arc.

I'd like to agree, but since each of these "arks" is a contributing factor to the flood, I can't be 100% on board with that haha

 

[Mike N]

Weekly DI resin change out? How much water are you making????

Between our office tank and the many tanks at my house, we use quite a lot. Of course, it exhausts quicker than I believe it should.

Regeneration is easy and can be done many,many times.

Did not know about that, will definitely look it up. Thanks.

 

[JoshH]

Between our office tank and the many tanks at my house, we use quite a lot. Of course, it exhausts quicker than I believe it should.

Did not know about that, will definitely look it up. Thanks.

Have you looked into maybe trying to make your system more efficient at processing TDS prior to your resin stages? Or using Multiple separate DI stages to handle the TDS better?