Understanding Lab Water Purification Methods

Many experiments have very stringent water quality requirements, and the level of water treatment varies depending on the experiment’s needs. If you want your water to be clean enough to ensure that it meets the requirements of your experiment, several methods can help you remove small impurities from your water. The most common method used in laboratories is water purification, effectively removing large particles such as endotoxins, TOCs, sediment, and ions. The water purification process is not simply filtration but is fundamentally different from water filtration. Water filtration removes impurities but not minerals, bacteria, etc. Water purification can effectively remove large particles such as endotoxins, TOC, sediment, and ions if you need water for a lab.
If you need a water purification system for an experiment, you should understand how it works. This article will explain this further.

The laboratory water purification process has 4 main steps to complete, and some of the steps for home drinking water purification are the same as laboratory WATER PURIFICATION. These steps ensure that contaminants and minerals are removed from the water before it is used again.

1. Pre-treatment

Firstly, the quality of the water should be judged; if a hard or impure water source is connected directly to the water purification equipment, the service life of the pre-processor will be shortened rapidly. If the water source is hard, it is recommended that you use a water softener to soften the water; if the water source is muddy or dirty, it is necessary to use an ordinary filter device for primary filtration. Scitek will install the appropriate pre-treatment equipment free of charge according to the quality of your water source.
After treating the water source, connect it to a water purification pre-treatment unit, the initial stage of any water cleaning process. The laboratory pre-treatment unit consists of 5 µm PP cotton + activated carbon (AC) + 1 µm PP cotton.

2. Reverse osmosis

Reverse osmosis works by applying a pressure greater than water infiltration to the front end of the RO membrane. Pretreated water passes through the RO membrane, while most ions, bacteria, organics and other impurities are blocked. This process produces wastewater and RO water. Economical water purification usually has a pressure tank to store RO water directly. When the water quality requirement is less than 20ppm, economical water purification is preferred, and the water in the pressure tank can be used directly as laboratory water.
A higher water purification configuration is required if the water quality requirement is <10 ppm or less.

3. Further sterilisation, adsorption

Generally, the high configuration water purification will be equipped with aseptic barrel, RO water is stored in the aseptic barrel. The aseptic tank is equipped with a UV lamp to sterilise and disinfect the RO water to ensure the purity of the water is more stable. The water stored in the aseptic tank is then passed through a purification column to further remove ions, organics and other impurities.
Depending on the filler of the column, ultrapure water of different experimental standards can be obtained. scitek water purification columns are available in polished resin and nuclear grade resin types, which can meet various experimental water requirements.

4. Storage of ultrapure water

Ultrapure water sterilized by reverse osmosis, purification columns, and UV lamps can be safely stored in sterile drums. The water can be accessed at any time during the experiment. (To ensure the quality of pure water. Storage is recommended not to exceed 48h)

How to choose water purification

Water Sources
There are many types of water sources, such as groundwater, tap water, and deionized water, and knowing the water quality will directly impact the choice of water purification.

Daily Water Consumption
The daily production of water required in the laboratory greatly limits the choice of water purification. If the daily water production in the lab is 30L, then a 10L/h purification is a good choice.

Type of experiment
Suppose it is an ordinary basic experiment, and the TOC content in the purified water is less than 20 ppm. In that case, we can choose the economic water purification model with a pressure tank.
If it is a molecular biology type experiment, trace organic or life science experiment, and the requirement of TOC is less than 5 or 0.03. We need to choose a high-end water purification with a purification column according to the need.

Budget
Evaluate the equipment investment cost and operation and maintenance cost of each purification technology, and choose the most cost-effective solution based on meeting the water quality requirements.

Conclusion

The purity of water is critical in the laboratory and has a direct impact on the accuracy and reproducibility of experimental results. By understanding and following the four key steps of water purification, we can ensure that the quality of water in our laboratories meets our requirements, thus providing a reliable basis for scientific research and experimental work.