Water Ionizers: Process Explained
Water ionizers claim to produce “pure alkaline water”, but it is extremely unlikely this “pure alkaline water” would have any effect on health. Because the pH of blood is tightly regulated at about 7.4, alkaline water would not have any effect on blood pH, nor would it be desirable to alter blood pH.
A water ionizer is a device where you pass in an electric current through water and when you do that, water will break apart. Instead of being H2O, it will break into an ion of Hydrogen and an ion of Hydroxyl, which is OH. The Hydrogen portion will make water quite acidic and the Hydroxyl portion will make water on that side basic. So, it is just a way of breaking water apart and ending up with two water sources or two water samples, one with a low pH and one with a high pH.
“Ionized water” is an essentially meaningless term. Water can contain dissolved ions (electrically-charged atoms or molecules) and almost all water found in nature acquires ions such as bicarbonate and calcium as it comes into contact with reverse osmosiscks and sediments. Pure water consists almost entirely of H2O molecules, which are loosely bound in a network-like structure in which individual molecules are constantly changing partners.
These water molecules do exhibit a very slight tendency to dissociate (ionize) into Hydrogen and Hydroxide ions. Because the reverse of this reaction is much more rapid, the extent of this reaction is severely limited and only about 2 out of every billion water molecules is dissociated. No electrical device or chemical additive is capable of increasing these ion concentrations in pure water above these levels.
Ionization Advantages and Disadvantages
In my opinion, “ionized water” is nothing more than sales fiction. The claims about the health benefits of drinking alkaline water are not supported by credible scientific evidence. Pure water can never be alkaline or acidic, nor can it be made so by electrolysis. Alas, there are many websites and companies with emphasize on the importance of drinking ionized and the health benefits it provides for those who want to achieve better health. Some of these advantages include:
- ionized water is up to 6 times more hydrating than conventional water
- ionized water improves cellular hydration
- ionized water acts a a powerful antioxidant
- ionized water restores the body’s pH balance
- ionized water improves the taste and quality of food
The disadvantages of alkaline water include:
- the cost
- there are no official studies to verify the validity of the claims deeming it pure and safe to drink
- it is an overpriced version of the water available on tap in nearly every American home
Purified water is a must not only for human consumption but for a variety of other purposes, including meeting the requirements of medical, pharmacological, chemical and industrial applications. Water purification is the process of removing undesirable chemicals, biological contaminants, suspended solids and gases from contaminated water, with the sole goal of producing water that fits a specific purpose.
In general, the methods used to purify water include:
- physical processes (filtration, sedimentation, distillation)
- biological processes (slow sand filters, biologically active carbon)
- chemical processes (flocculation, chlorination)
- electromagnetic radiation processes (ultraviolet light)
Sometimes, the general public hardly distinguishes scientific fact from pseudoscientific hype when the two are closely intertwined and when the public lacks the scientific background to do so. Many of the clinical uses of ionized water are done in Japan and Korea, where water ionizers are certified by the Korean and Japanese Ministries of Health as approved medical devices. They have been using them for over 40 years but they do not follow the same guidelines as the United States for testing.
To conclude, I hope that these two blogs have shed a little more light on water ionizers and deionzers, the processes they involve and the pros and cons of owning one of these water treatment devices.
Water Deionizers: Process Explained
There are many ways to deionize water, some are small and simple, while others are large and complex. The method used will be determined considering the volume of water deionizers and the desired purity. Deionization or ion exchange is a rapid and reversible process, in which impurity ions present in the water are replaced by ions released by an ion-exchange resin. Ion exchange resin has an attraction for dissolved inorganics, which are typically about 95% of known water contaminants.
The resin must be periodically regenerated to restore it to the original ionic form. There are 2 basic types of resin:
- cation-exchange resins – release Hydrogen (H+) ions or other positively-charged ions in exchange for impurity cations
- anion-exchange resins – release Hydroxyl (OH-) ions or other negatively-charged ions in exchange for impurity anions
Calcium and Magnesium ions are removed when the water passes through the first ion exchange material. The exchange material releases its Hydrogen ions on a chemically-equivalent basis as metallic ions in the water affix themselves to the exchange material. A Sodium ion (Na+) displaces one Hydrogen ion (H+), a Calcium ion (Ca++) displaces 2 Hydrogen ions and a Ferric ion (Fe+++) displaces 3 Hydrogen ions and so on.
The solution will become very acid as a result of a relatively high concentration of hydrogen ions, and, at this point, the deionizaion process is only half complete. Water now contains positive Hydrogen ions and the anions originally in the water before treatment. The partially treated water will flow through a second unit with anion exchange material, which consists of replaceable Hydroxyl anions and fixed irreplaceable cations.
The negative ions in solution (anions) will be absorbed into the anion exchange material, which releases Hydroxyl anions. The result of the entire process will be ion-free water, which contains:
- positive Hydrogen ions released in the initial exchange
- negative Hydroxyl ions released in the second exchange
Now, through their combination, these ions have produced water molecules, which are not different in any ways from the water in which they were produced. This two-stage ion exchange process results in mineral-free water.
Deionization Advantages and Disadvantages
Advantages of deionization include:
- removes over 98% of contaminants
- no wasted water
- no need for electricity
- fast flow rate
- no need for a storage tank
- relatively inexpensive initial capital investment
- regenerable (service deionization)
Purified water is a must not only for human consumption but for a variety of other purposes, including meeting the requirements of medical, pharmacological, chemical and industrial applications.
Water purification is the process of removing undesirable chemicals, biological contaminants, suspended solids and gases from contaminated water, with the sole goal of producing water that fits a specific purpose.
Distilled water and deionized (DI) water are the most common forms of purified water. The first order of business is to determine what is meant by high purity for the proposed application. We must also consider suspended solids, dissolved solids, dissolved gases, organics, and the biology of the water. A few of the most common uses of distilled water are aquariums, laboratory experiments, steam irons, and car cooling systems. It is not uncommon for companies such as Golyath distilled water to promote their products for commercial purposes as well.
In general, the methods used to purify water include:
- physical processes (filtration, sedimentation, distillation)
- biological processes (slow sand filters, biologically active carbon)
- chemical processes (flocculation, chlorination)
- electromagnetic radiation processes (ultraviolet light)
If it is used in combination with activated carbon, deionization can remove organic chemicals and parasites, and can protect the resin from chlorine. The limitations of this process involve a diminished capacity when used on water supplies with a high mineral content.
Also, it does not effectively remove particles, pyrogens or bacteria. If the resin is not regenerated at proper intervals, contaminants can return to the water. Deionization beds can generate resin particles and culture bacteria over time. It also has high operating costs in the long run.
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