subject: Why You Need A Water Purification System In Your Lab [print this page] No matter what the use of water in your laboratory, most likely you'll need a purification system. Tap water contains contaminants that can affect the operation of the equipment in the lab. It may have minerals that ultimately interfere with the operation of the equipment or contain contaminants that influence the outcome of your lab experiments. Because of this potential for damage and poor results in scientific endeavors, labs need water purification systems that meet their specific needs.
Tap water contains several types of contaminants. The type of water necessary for your lab setting depends on the level of purity you require. The standards set by several scientific organizations dictate the level of purity. Ultra pure water, or Type I water, is normally the most used in lab settings.
Each type of water has different amounts of dissolved solids. The ultra pure water contains only a few parts per billion while Type II and III water has as much as 1/8 to 1/2 part per million of dissolved solids. Most of the instruments you use will designate the grade of water necessary for you to use them properly.
Since Type I water has to be created at the point of use and cannot be made and stored ahead, you need an on-site system that is easy to use and also produces an adequate amount of water at a usable and reasonable rate per hour. Type I water decreases in resistivity, leaches both metals and organic compounds from the container that stores it and is subject to bacterial contamination.
The method of purification depends on the type of contaminants that you have to remove from the water. Those that work in areas of tissue culture face different requirements than those that use water for the production of semi-conductors. There are various techniques used in the purification processes.
Water purification systems use more than one of the many types of purification processes. The methods include reverse osmosis, deionization, activated carbon filtration, organic adsorption, distillation, ultrafiltration, microporous filtration or ultraviolet oxidation. To create the purest water, most systems use combinations specifically for attacking various problems found in specific industries.
When analyzing various types of compounds, the use of pure water is necessary. The water contaminants can affect the outcome of the results, particularly if the material you're measuring is also in the water. Bioscience labs cannot afford any bacteria or contaminants in their water or it could destroy their entire project.
The amount of water necessary to fit the needs of your lab often warrants the type of water purifier you'll purchase. Some labs need a lower amount per hour and others need high volumes of pure or ultrapure water for use with equipment and experiments.
No matter what type of work your lab does, most likely, you'll need a water purification system to protect the integrity of the lab equipment you use and the success of the work you do in the lab. Pure water insures that your equipment functions properly and there are no contaminants to either destroy your work or interfere with any analysis of the material.
