In addition, as the field of materials engineering continues to produce an ever-increasing variety of substances, the potential for creating new, useful ion exchange materials grows. Furthermore, the explosive growth in computer power during the last 15 years helps materials engineers work much more efficiently in developing useful compounds. If virtual reality technology materializes as it's proponents profess, materials development could be in for another burst of growth. The current uses of ion exchange are long and numerous, and although I won't go into all of them here, I would like to point out several important applications.
Ion exchangers can soften the water, deionize it, and even be used in desalination .
In industrial uses, pure water is often crucial for the successful development of a product. Preparation of various acids, bases, salts, and solutions is also aided by ion exchange. Analytical chemistry uses ion exchange in chromatography. The recovery of valuable metals is also possible with resins. Industrial drying of treatment of gases is accomplished often with ion exchange.