In this study, two models (phenomenological and hybrid) were used in the description of the ion exchange process in a fixed-bed column. The external and internal mass transfer limitations and thermodynamic equilibrium at the solid-liquid interface were considered. In the phenomenological model, the mass action law was used to describe the equilibrium, while, in the hybrid model an artificial neural network (ANN) was used. The experimental equilibrium data were used for the validation of the ANN. The performance of the models was compared using experimental breakthrough curves. Both models described well the ion exchange process. The simulation time using the hybrid model was shorter.