Patent ID: 8148594

Claim:
A process for treating waste water containing contaminants to prevent excessive accumulation of at least one of said contaminants on demineralizer media, said process comprising: determining the amounts of each of said contaminants in an influent stream of said waste water; selecting at least one of said contaminants as a driver contaminate capable of excessive accumulation on a demineralizer media before at least one other of said contaminants can reach a predetermined level of accumulation on said demineralizer media; treating said waste water with ion specific removal means for specifically removing said driver contaminant from said waste water while leaving a significant amount of said other contaminant for subsequent removal by said demineralizer media, said removal means being located upstream of said demineralizer media; and, supplying said treated waste water to said demineralizer media subsequent to removal of said driver contaminant by said ion specific removal means such that said other contaminant can reach said predetermined level of accumulation on said demineralizer media.