An investigation on the removal of escherichia coli by ion exchange resins

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the ability of typical cation and anion exchange resins to remove Escherichia coli from water. The objective was to obtain a method of purifying slightly polluted, private well water supplies.

The investigation consisted of passing water samples, inoculated with known concentrations of Escherichia coli, through resin columns of known volumes. The resins were subjected to varying Escherichia coli concentrations and cycles of regeneration.

The results indicated the anion exchange resin, Amberlite IRA-400, possessed the highest potential for removing Escherichia coli.