Fistreem International manufactures water purifying products, including the well-known Cyclon and Calypso water stills.
The new Hydros deionizer is a dependable and cost-effective solution for laboratories that require pure water.
Why is it Important to Use Pure Water in a Laboratory?
Pure water is used in almost every life science experiment to ensure trustworthy and reproducible results. The quality of the water used in the tests is just as crucial as the quality of the other reagents used to avoid contamination and get the best results.
The quality of laboratory water impacts the performance and efficiency of analytical instruments. Using high-quality water not only provides better outcomes but also helps to preserve equipment and decrease maintenance and downtime during its lifetime.
What is Deionized Water?
Deionized water (DI) has all (or most) of its ions removed. Deionization removes inorganic ions such as calcium or sodium, commonly found in soil, and copper from water pipes. A diagram of the entire procedure can be viewed below.
Image Credit: Synoptics Ltd
How to Produce Deionized Water?
Deionization systems replace negative and positive molecules in water with hydrogen (positive) and hydroxyl (negative) molecules. This is accomplished by chemically removing ions from feedwater using synthetic ion-exchange resins. Hydrogen and hydroxide ions exchange for dissolved minerals as water flows through before recombining to produce water.
Deionization resin beds or columns are commonly constructed using cation-exchange and anion-exchange resins in separate beds or bundled together.
There are three forms of deionization: cocurrent, countercurrent, and mixed bed.
- Co-current deionization is the original downflow technique in which input water and regeneration chemicals enter at the top of an ion exchange column and depart at the bottom.
- Counter-current deionization has two kinds. The first kind is upflow columns, in which input water enters from the bottom and regenerates at the top of the exchange column. The second type is upflow regeneration, which involves water entering from the top and restoring from the bottom.
- Mixed bed deionization uses a 50/50 combination of carbon and anion resin in a single ion exchange column.
As recommended by the manufacturer, resins should be changed or regenerated when outlet water conductivity reaches 15µs. As a result, the resin must be tested regularly to verify that it is not saturated and is producing adequate purity. The Fistreem Hydros deionizer has an easy-to-read conductivity meter, allowing users to rapidly verify the effectiveness of the cartridges.
How is Deionized Water Different to Distilled Water?
Deionized and distilled water are pure water forms, although they are created using different methods. Distilled water is made by condensing steam from boiling water and collecting the condensation. Deionized water, on the other hand, is filtered through a resin to separate ions from other contaminants.
What is Deionized Water Used for?
Deionized water has many uses in several industries, including general lab work, clinical biochemistry, electrochemistry, cell and tissue culture, molecular biology, mass spectrometry, and spectrophotometry. Unless extremely high-purity water is required, deionized water can be viable since it can be generated rapidly and cheaply.
Looking for a Deionized Water Purification System?
Fistreem International manufactures a variety of world-class water purification devices, including the Hydros deionizer, which uses deionization to remove contaminants from water, giving users readily available pure water. Its compact benchtop form and simple setup make it a perfect addition to the laboratory.