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Did
you know?
Reverse osmosis is the finest water filtration method known. This process will
allow the removal of particles as small as ions from a solution. It is used
to purify water and remove salts and other impurities in order to improve the
color, taste or properties of the fluid. R.O. uses a membrane that is semi-permeable,
allowing the fluid that is being purified to pass through it, while rejecting
other ions and contaminants from passing.
This technology uses a process
known as crossflow to allow the r.o. membrane to continually clean itself. This
is the reason of why an r.o. element can last many years before clogging or
need replacement. This
water purification process requires a driving force to push the fluid through
the membrane, and the most common force is household water pressure or pressure
from a booster pump. The higher the pressure, the larger the driving force and
efficiency.
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31. The Bottled Water Purification Process
A trip to the local grocery store and a walk down the beverage
aisle will reveal dozens of varieties of bottled water. From big, two
gallon jugs with spouts to mini bottles that can fit in a lunch box, there
are kinds galore. But many may take for granted to process that takes
place to get that water from the source, safely into the bottle and into
our lives.
Bottled water, often called drinking water, is usually bottled
at the source and sealed in safe drinking containers. There are many
types of bottled water, held inside many types of unique shaped bottles. It seems the fancier the bottle, the more expensive the water inside. Let's take a look at the kinds of bottled water available:
--Spring
water: this comes from an underground formation and must flow naturally
to the earth's surface or through a sanitary borehole.
--Purified
drinking water: this type of water has been processed to remove chlorine
and a majority of dissolved solids, such as magnesium. The source is not
required to be named unless it is untreated public source of water.
--Naturally
sparkling water: this is naturally carbonated from a spring or artesian
well.
--Seltzer
Water: the FDA regulates this as a soft drink, which means rules are
less strict than those for bottled water.
--Mineral
water: typically from a spring, this contains dissolved solids like
calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, silica and bicarbonates.
Bottled water, some say, is not always safer than tap water. Tap
water, from city water systems, is monitored by the Environmental Protection
Agency, while the FDA monitors water bottling activity. In fact, bottled
water is one of the products most closely monitored by the FDA. The standards
for these two agencies is a little different; for example, the EPS monitors
for asbestos while the FDA does not. Water bottlers are also not very
strictly required to monitor or disinfect for parasites. This is mainly
because the FDA says that at the source the water is bottled from, it
is unlikely to harbor parasites or contain these dangerous elements. However, water bottlers are given more strict standards for lead and chlorine.
But, there is more than just the FDA. Bottled water is actually
monitored at three levels to ensure high quality and safety standards,
the first being federal through the FDA. It is also regulated by the
state and also by trade associations such as the International Water Bottlers
Association (IBWA). While every water bottler has different techniques,
here are some general guidelines of the steps to bottling water:
Bottling water starts at the source. As mentioned above, there
are several sources to find water: protected underground springs, wells
and municipal supplies. The next step is to filter the water through
multi-barrier sources which could included source protections, source
monitoring, reverse osmosis, ultraviolet light, distillation, micron filtration
and ozonation. Water bottlers may use one or more of those processes.
All of this must meet those federal guidelines drawn up by the
FDA. These include good manufacturing practices, sanitary facilities
and operations, quality standards, labeling standards and quality production
controls and processes. States will also regulate via inspections of
both the source and the production facility, and this varies greatly from
state to state. Finally, the processes must meet industry standards,
which are stricter than the FDA. Kind of a self-monitoring, if you will. The IBWA states that it maintains its own set of standards, where all
members are subject to an annual, unannounced plant inspection by a nationally
recognized third-party organization. Not all water bottlers are members
of this trade organization, but more than 80% of water does come from
member companies. It may be best to drink water from a IBWA member, as
this process has three agencies watching, rather than just two.Now that we know a little about the process and regulations, let's
look at the process a little closer on specific types of water. Yes. The process is a little more complicated than filling a bottle and capping
it. In fact, deciding to carry bottled water requires much insight, with
two major considerations being water source and what equipment will be
used to produce it.
Source: The source of water plays a key role in the quantity and quality of
water one wants to produce, as well as to remain profitable. About a quarter
of all bottled water comes from municipal supplies, with the rest coming
from natural sources like springs and wells. But, regardless of where
the water is flowing from, is privy to all the aforementioned testing
from the agencies. One thing to take into consideration is what and organics
and inorganic compounds are present at the source, and if it is practical
or not to invest in equipment to remove them.
Equipment: Who wants water that is not clear, smells funny and tastes weird? The organic compounds, like metal ions, in water can contribute to these
things. So, the processes mentioned above can help literally clear up
the water. To reiterate, these are some of the processes: Membrane filtration
can remove organic impurities, metal and other ions. Ozonization can break
down organic constituents and reduce their odor potential while also sanitizing
to minimize further microbial contamination. But, whichever filtration
system is chosen, the plant will be built to spec.
The two biggest selling types of bottled water are spring water
and purified water. And, although the end result may taste the same,
the processes of filtering are quite different. With spring water, the
source must be an actual spring. The label must say so. And, the spring
must be able to sustain the water production to make the choice to bottle
it from there an economical choice. Not that would should be talking
about beer in a water informational article, but you often hear in commercials
that the beer is made with water from the Rocky Mountain springs. A typical
spring water treatment process includes a filtration system that generally
runs in series5-micron filtration to 0.2-micron filtration. After the
filtration process, the spring water is then usually treated with ozone
to disinfect and preserve the water in the bottle. By maintaining the
nature of the spring water, ozone is considered to be an acceptable disinfectant.
Ozone oxidizes bacteria and organic materials and, over time, reverts
back to oxygen.
Purified water is the most highly treated and closely regulated
bottled water product by the FDA and IBWA, but also offers the most consistent
and highest quality water to the consumer. It is noted that consumers
of bottled water prefer the taste of purified water over other types. Bottlers say the consistent flavor is a result of the purification process. There are three primary processes used to produce purified water: deionization,
distillation and reverse
osmosis. Most bottlers choose RO over the others because of the many
advantages, including reduced cost and increased performance. Some of
these advantages also include removing nearly all organic compounds and
up to 99% of ions and it rejects 99% of viruses, bacteria and fever producing
substances. Also, RO is more energy efficient.
So the next time you pick a case of water off the shelf, look closer
at the label. Now that you have read up on the process, you can tell
the difference between the identical-looking fluids. You will know where
it came from, how it was regulated, how it was purified and which is the
safest. To bottle water at home, reverse
osmosis filters can be purchased which will save money in the long
run, as the average American spends over $300 per year on bottled water.
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