What Is Demineralized Water? Here Is the Production Process

Did you know about demin water? If you have heard about mineral water as one of potable water, you might also hear about demineralized water.

Demin water, or demineralized water, is frequently used in industries, like the chemical industry. Yet, demineralized water is also safe to consume, but not for the long term.

To get to know more about demineralized water, including the production and the difference from mineral water, read the explanation below!

What Is Demineralized Water?

Denim water does not contain minerals, such as magnesium and calcium. This water is also called purified water because it has undergone the process of removing solute minerals.

Although it is called purified water, not all purifying processes can remove minerals from water. Demineralized water is obtained from several processes, such as distillation, reverse osmosis, and others.

One of the common and effective methods of demineralization is deionization. Deionization is the process of swapping ions that can remove almost all the mineral salts.

As mentioned before, demineralized water is potable, but not for long-term consumption, and is not advisable as the main drinking water.

This is because denim water has low mineral content. If consumed continuously without any mineral intake from other foods, there might be a health risk.

Moreover, a research paper published in Environmental International revealed that consuming low mineral drinking water increases the risk of tooth cavities.

Furthermore, a study in the Medical Journal Armed Forces India reported that cooking with demineralized water can remove all essential elements from food, such as from vegetables and meats.

That’s why demineralized water is widely used for industrial purposes, such as for cleaning machines and tools at the factory. Because it does not contain minerals, demineralized water can maintain the quality of the engine so that it does not rust quickly, even after being washed several times.

How Is Demineralized Water Made?

Some methods used to make demineralized water are distillation, deionization (DI), reverse osmosis (RO), and electrodialysis. Below is the complete explanation:

1. Distillation

Distillation has been used to purify water for years. The purifying process is carried out by boiling water to produce steam. The steam is captured and let cool.

Once it is cool, the steam will turn into water. The process of turning steam into water will dissolve the minerals and salt from the water.

Aside from minerals and salt, distillation also removes various microbes, like bacteria, during the heating process. Additionally, distillation can remove heavy metals and hazardous contaminants.

The distillation method can produce highly demineralized water. However, this method is less practical because it requires quite complex equipment.

2. Reverse Osmosis (RO)

Reverse osmosis reverses the osmosis process. Water obtained from the RO process is considered safer and more filtered. You can also do RO at home with specialized tools.

During RO, water will go through the semipermeable membrane from an area with low solute concentration to an area with high solute concentration. The process continues until both solutions are balanced.

RO is the main process of water desalination and demineralization. It is also used to produce purified water in industries, agriculture, and food production.

This method is considered more cost-effective, making it widely utilized compared to distillation. RO equipment is quite small and installable at home.

3. Deionization (DI)

Deionization is a more complicated process and is only done for industrial purposes where demineralized water is massively needed.

During deionization, water will go through two resins containing different electric charges. One resin contains a positive charge (anion resin) and another has a negative charge (cation resin).

Resin works as an exchanger that removes minerals from water. DI is really effective in removing minerals from water, but it cannot remove other contaminants, such as bacteria, organic chemical substances, viruses, and so on.

4. Electrodialysis

Electrodialysis is a membrane filtration process used to demineralize water utilizing an electric field. Water will be deionized and demineralized by the combination of electrodialysis and ion exchange resins without the need for ion exchange resin regeneration.

Difference Between Mineral and Demineralized Water

Mineral and demineralized water are always compared as drinking water choices. Yet, what are the differences? Here is the detail:

1. Content

The basic difference between demineralized and mineral water is the content. Mineral water contains solid solutes, such as magnesium, sodium, calcium, and so on. On the other hand, demin water contains fewer or no minerals in the water.

2. Function

Demineralized water is mainly used in industry and medicine production. In contrast, mineral water is for daily drinking water.

3. Taste

The taste of mineral water depends on the content. If it is rich in calcium, it may taste sour and bitter. If it is high-magnesium, it may be a bit salty and bitter. Conversely, demineralized water is considered bland because it does not have minerals and ions.

That is the information about demineralized water you can learn. This water is commonly used for industry and manufacturing, especially in cleaning operational machines.

Regarding demineralized water for industry, Krakatau Tirta Industri, as an affiliated company of Chandra Asri Group, provides demineralized water services.

Krakatau Tirta Industri, through Krakatau Tirta Operation & Maintenance (KTOP), provides quality demineralized water processed with advanced technology. The demineralized water also follows the standard and needs.

If your company needs demineralized water for industry, Krakatau Tirta Industri is the solution!