Knowing If Deionized Water Is Germ-Free

The physical and chemical nature of water can sometimes be an advantage and a drawback. It dissolves a lot of matter such as organic matter, microorganisms, minerals, and substances. This is why it is hardly ever found pure. Before homes and industries can make use of water from reservoirs, it undergoes series of purification process. Part of this process may be deionization which is a chemical procedure that removes most ions in water to render it pure and ion-free. The polar nature of water allows it to attract ions. For instance, salt dissolves in water to yield sodium and chloride ions. Though plain water that underwent sterilization process may be safe to drink regardless of the ions present, this may not be suited for use in industries where extremely pure, deionized water is the most suitable.

Nevertheless, answering the question whether or not deionized (DI) water is clean, is not necessarily a question of water quality itself but the process of purification. Most companies that provide clean water for other companies have a state-of-the-art facility for distillation, sterilization, and demineralization of water. The degree of water quality depends upon the necessity which it is purposely made for. Home use does not strictly need autoclave/laboratory water. But chemical and microbiology laboratories make use of not only DI but also sterile water.

First of all, deionization is the removal of ions in the water. This does not involve, by strict definition of the term, sterilization. During the process, positive and negative ions are removed by passing the water through a resin bed where ion exchange takes place. In this process, cations (positive ions) like sodium, calcium and magnesium are replaced by hydrogen ions. The anions (negative ions) like chloride, bromide, and carbonates are replaced by hydroxyl (OH-) ions. Note that the resin bed does not kill bacteria and microorganisms. Thus, the deionization procedure does not mean that water is safe for drinking. It only strictly states that water is devoid of minerals, salts and ions.

However, water purifying centers, water companies, and deionized water supplier do not just run water through deionization/demineralization process. In virtually all process, water undergoes a series of purification procedure that involves removal of all matter from colloidal particles to other impurities before it can undergo ion removal.

Therefore, by the strictest sense of the terminology, deionization does only form a part of the intricate process of water purification. It does not completely encompass the complex process of making water suitable for all purposes like human consumption and industrial use. It is not deionization that renders water clean and microbe-free. However, we can safely infer that since deionized/demineralized water has gone through a complex process of purification, in which deionization is just a part, it is then sterile. Not only is the liquid sterile but also it is devoid of minerals and ions. Hence, it is the most appropriate type of pure water in a wide range of applications. In fact, a large number of companies choose to buy deionized water over any other type of purified water.

Jo is a content writer for 'The-Water-Company.com' (www.the-water-company.com), an established UK based high quality water manufacturer for more than thirty years, producing products such as deionized water and demineralized water to a wide variety of customers in UK, Europe and all over the world. If your corporation has a deionized water supply requirement or if you want to find out more details on the different water products then check out The-Water-Company.com.

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