When discussing water safety for drinking, we wonder what type of water is safe. Water safety relates to the process the water undergoes that is suitable for consumption.
However, with various options available, we can easily become confused about what type of water we need.
We will cover three types of water here. Each has a similar process but different outcomes and uses.
What are the Similarities of Sterile, Distilled, and Deionized Water
From a water source, the water contains a handful of impurities, parasites, and microorganisms.
Boiling kills all living things and any disease-causing forms. This is why it is crucial to take primary precautions, particularly when the water source is unknown.
As we proceed, we will understand how each type of water undergoes a boiling process. One is confused with the other, and vice versa. Here, all these questions will be clarified.
What is Sterile Water
Sterile water is free of living forms, such as bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and spores. It is important in medical and irrigation applications, as it helps avoid the risk of contamination compared with regular water.
For example, the lab must use sterile water to ensure the accuracy of research results or procedures.
Boiling for Sterile Water
When boiling for sterile water, the time is specific. You need to boil the water for twenty minutes. This is what makes this a sterilization process for drinking purposes.
Sterility is a property of water. Sterile means no viable bacteria, viruses, or other microorganisms present.
Other Processes to Produce Sterile Water
Two other methods of producing sterile water are ozonation and chlorination. Unlike boiling, dead bacteria remain in the treated water to provide nutrition for any existing living bacteria.
Because of this, excess chlorine or ozone must be present in the water for it to remain sterile.
Ozonated water can kill protozoa, but it leaves no bad taste or smell and virtually creates no harmful by-products. Chlorinated water leaves a bad taste and smell, but does not kill protozoa. In most cases, chlorine leaves harmful by-products.
How to Make Sterile Water
To make sterile water, you need sterile water and a sterilized container. The container must be stored in a cold location away from direct sunlight.
To sterilize the container, put it in boiling water for 10 minutes. It would be best if you had the following:
- Thermometer
- Pressure Cooker or a hermetically sealed pot
- Stove
- Filtered water
To start the sterilization process, you need to do the following:
- Fill the water in the pressure cooker.
- Put the pressure cooker on the stove.
- Boil for twenty minutes. Maintain the temperature within the cooker at 250 degrees Fahrenheit throughout the boiling period. This time frame sterilizes the water rather than just boiling it.
After this, you already have sterilized water. It will only remain sterile as long as it is saved in sterilized containers. To be more satisfied with this sterile water, it is better to immediately use it (cooled).
What are the Uses of Sterile Water
For home use, baby bottle preparations use sterile water. Research laboratories use sterile water for equipment, apparatuses, and other methods. It is also recommended for those with compromised immune systems.
Sterile water is safe for drinking, but not as pure as water produced by other processes. Minerals, salts, chemicals, and other contaminants are not removed from it.
Sterile Water for Drinking
Sterilizing water for twenty minutes makes it safe for drinking. Again, this only removes organic impurities, leaving the inorganic particles behind. The water may still contain minerals, salts, and other chemicals.
But, if you are sure that your water source is far from industrial plants or chemical runoffs, this could lessen the probability that your water contains heavy metals or toxic chemical materials. Or, you can switch to other water options.
What is Distilled Water
Distilled water is a product of the distillation process. In the distillation process, water undergoes boiling to turn into steam. This will be captured and cooled, which becomes the distilled water.
It leaves behind all the contaminants, including inorganic minerals, chemicals, and metals. Those contaminants have very high melting points and even higher ones that the water's boiling point can’t remove. This results in the water's pure form.
What is the process
Distilled water is present in nature. Rainwater is a product of the natural earth’s process. The hot sun causes water on the Earth’s surface. It evaporates, creating vapor or water in its gaseous form.
These vapors rise and form clouds. When the temperature cools, the clouds release the vapor as rain.
However, when water reaches the Earth’s surface, it is already full of dirt, soot, and other contaminants attached to the droplets, making it unsuitable for use as distilled water.
How to Distill Water
There are many ways to distill water. Distilling water involves boiling it and collecting the vapor in a clean container. This steam turns back into the water for safe consumption. To do this, you need to do the following:
- Fill the pot halfway with water.
- Tie a cup to the handle on the pot’s lid. The cup should hang right-side-up. Ensure the lid does not touch the water when it is upside down.
- Boil the water for twenty minutes. The steam will turn into a liquid, which should slide into the hanging cup. This collected water will be converted into distilled water.
Here is another way of distilling your water.
- Fill your pot halfway with water.
- Place a receiver flask (bowl) into your pot. Make sure it floats well enough to avoid sinking.
- Place your lid upside down on the pot.
- Boil the water for twenty minutes.
- Put ice on top of the lid. The ice cools the distillate to speed up the condensation in the receiver flask. This collected water becomes the distilled water.
What are the Uses of Distilled Water
Distilled water is used for drinking, but it also has numerous other household uses. For example, it creates clear cubes when used to make ice. Similarly, cleaning glasses with a mixture of distilled water and vinegar yields clean and shiny results.
It also removes stains from wine glasses. Removing salt stains from sports goggles helps wash away and dissolve the salt.
Rinsing the hair with distilled water helps remove unwanted chemicals.
In research laboratories, distilled water plays a crucial role in molecular studies and procedures.
Here are other common uses of distilled water:
- steam irons
- aquariums (mineral supplements should be added to the fish food)
- watering plants
- car cooling systems
- laboratory experiments
- specific medical devices, such as continuous positive airway pressure
Distilled Water for Drinking
Distilled water is in its purest form. It is essential to drink water only for pregnant women, children, or individuals with acute conditions.
However, if people without special dietary needs should drink distilled water, they may not obtain the essential minerals present in water.
In this case, other purified or mineral water may be a good option.
Sterile Water vs. Distilled Water
Sterile water is free from organic materials but not inorganic chemicals. Distilled water undergoes a sterilization process that removes organic and inorganic contaminants, producing pure water.
Both have wide uses and benefits. Yet, their use is specific to the needs and requirements of the applications.
Deionized water, like distilled water, produces a pure form of water. However, they differ in two ways. Deionized water undergoes a deionization process. This process involves passing through ion exchange material that removes calcium and fluoride ions.
It replaces them with hydrogen and hydroxyl ions, which are reformed to make pure water molecules. It also removes minerals and salts.
Deionized water can be produced via ion exchange with cation and anion resins. This resin needs to be regenerated with acid and caustic.
Theoretically, it can remove 100% of salts. However, it cannot remove organics, bacteria, or viruses except through “accidental” trapping in the resin and specially made strong base anion resins. These resins remove gram-negative bacteria.
Another way of creating deionized water is electro-deionization. This process utilizes electricity, ion exchange membranes, and resin to remove ions (impurities) from water.
How to Deionize Water
Deionized water (DI Water) is often synonymous with Demineralized water (DM Water). It uses pre-treated water, such as sterile or chlorinated water. This process uses a special type of ion exchange resin.
In these resins, hydrogen and hydroxide ions exchange with the dissolved minerals in the water and then recombine to form water. Let us take a look at it on a specific level.
Organic materials and inorganic minerals are the most common contaminants in the water. They are removed through filtering methods such as physical filters, carbon filters, and reverse osmosis (RO) membranes.
After this pre-treatment, the water passes through the DI system. This system comprises two types of resins: anionic and cationic. These two resins attract positive and negative ions.
In exchange, they replace them with H+(hydrogen) and OH- (hydroxide). H+ and OH- combine to form H2O or water.
Other filtering methods and DI resins can remove almost all impurities.
Since most impurities in water are salts, this process easily removes them.
This is why deionized water is highly pure, like distilled water. However, this process yields quicker results and does not build up.
What Minerals are Removed from Deionization
In raw water, there are different kinds of minerals. The following are the common minerals found:
Calcium hydrogen carbonate - Ca(HCO3)
Magnesium bicarbonate - Mg(HCO3)2
Calcium sulfate - CaSO4
Magnesium sulfate - MgSO4
Calcium chloride - CaCl2
Sodium chloride - NaCl
Silicon dioxide - SiO2
Deionization can be expensive, but there is a cheaper option: electro-deionization. This process separates dissolved ions using electricity.
Demineralization
Since it is often confused with deionized water, it is essential to understand some key differences. Demineralization removes all the minerals found in natural water.
This process is done explicitly for chemical processes. Such minerals present may interfere with other chemicals during this process. This is why it is relevant for such methods.
All chemists and beauty products use demineralized water for the same reason.
Uses
Deionized water has many applications. It is particularly useful in laboratories, where it is utilized for autoclaves, handpieces, laboratory testing, laser cutting, automotive applications, and the pharmaceutical industry.
You can replace the water in your home humidifier with deionized water. This prevents mineral build-up and keeps it functioning well.
DI is also a great choice to prevent your coffee machine or steam iron from clogging due to excess minerals (hard water). It is suitable for aquariums.
For hygiene purposes, deionized water is used in shampoos, conditioners, and moisturizers. For car washing, use DI water for windshield fluid to clean the engine and radiator. Also, it can be used to dilute concentrated antifreeze.
For your health, DI water supports the body when on a special diet or cleansing. Some physicians recommend DI for people with heavy metal toxicity.
Deionized Water for Drinking
Studies show that drinking deionized water may cause people to urinate more frequently and lose more electrolytes from their bodies. DI water may also have a lower pH and be less acidic, so it may not cause immediate health effects. There is also a small risk of residual deionization resins in the water.
Distilled Vs. Deionized Water
Both treatments have high water purity, but using them depends on the intention behind using them. Distilled water is purer than the latter since it removes all possible impurities.
Distilled water can be double- or triple-distilled and is used in almost every laboratory application. Deionized water removes all charged ions or impurities but leaves behind uncharged organic molecules, such as bacteria and viruses.
However, they can be removed by incidentally trapping them in the resin. Strong base anion resins made specially can remove Gram-negative bacteria.
What is Best for You?
This article explains the differences between sterile, distilled, and deionized water.
One may be advantageous over the other. But here, you understood how each three might be similar or different from each other. In the same way, each of the three has specific, important qualities that apply to particular methods or applications.
If you are unsure of the water source and want to be assured that you are consuming water free from organic contaminants, you can use sterile, distilled, or deionized water in its purest form.
Unlike deionized water, distilled water is free from every possible impurity in water. This is because deionized water may still retain uncharged contaminants that were not removed during the deionization process.
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