Archive for the ‘Dealer Dynamics’ Category
Aquaceuticals – Drink to your health – Part 2
A smart dealer wanting to learn about aquaceuticals needs to quickly develop a broad understanding of the key concepts in this fascinating and rapidly growing segment of the water quality improvement industry. Our customers turn to aquaceuticals because they believe in the value of liquid nutrition. Solid pills and powder-filled capsules are generally less effectively absorbed through the human gastro-intestinal (GI) tract than liquid formulations. Aquaceuticals generally come in two varieties: premixed and self-mix. Intelligent customers inevitably gravitate towards the self-mix, since it costs less and they can use their own purified water to mix the supplement into a usable form instead. Aquaceutical concentrates will mix best with purified water since there are no contaminants like metals, minerals, or disinfectants and their byproducts to interfere with the mixing process. Clean, purified water is the building block upon which all good aquaceutical formulations are built.
Metals and minerals
Trace minerals serve as catalysts to vitamin uptake within the cells of the human body. They are essential to our daily health, and have specific minimum daily requirements depending on our body size and level of stress. Unfortunately, this requirement usually goes unmet when living the hectic modern lifestyle. The following are just a few of the trace minerals that should be included in a healthful daily diet, and can be obtained through organic foods and nutritional supplements like aquaceuticals.
Boron is a trace mineral that provides metabolic benefits in the human body. Though its exact role in the body is relatively unknown, recent experimental studies indicate that boron may be essential for energy utilization and the creation and preservation of bone.
Iodine is an important trace mineral, though it is often misunderstood. A deficiency of iodine results in goiters, lower vitality, lower metabolism and the inability to think logically. Iodine is essential for proper thyroid function.
Lithium is a trace mineral that interacts only with sodium. It can be obtained from drinking water and is essential to balancing the part of the brain that dictates behavioral and emotional behaviors.
Magnesium is an abundant element in the body and it is closely related to calcium and phosphorus as far as functions go. About 70 percent of all magnesium is contained in the bones and teeth and the rest is found in the cells of the soft tissue of the body.
Manganese is a natural muscle builder, and it is also known to strengthen bones and ligaments. It is usually found in the bone, liver, kidneys, heart, pituitary gland, pancreas, spleen and intestines.
Molybdenum is an essential trace mineral that is found concentrated in the liver, adrenal glands, kidneys, bones and skin. Most people obtain molybdenum from milk and other dairy products, dried legumes, organ meats and whole grains.
Phosphorus is a vital essential mineral because it provides a wide range of functions throughout the body. It is not only involved in bone and teeth formation, but also the metabolism of every cell in the human body.
Selenium is a trace mineral that helps to prevent oxygen damage to the cell membrane. Cell membranes are critical for the proper absorption of nutrients and the elimination of toxic wastes. It’s also known to be a powerful antioxidant.
Silicon is a trace mineral that is found in the hair and skin. It is important in the formation of the collagen found in bone, cartilage and other connective tissues. It is also necessary for the formation of other connective tissues like elastin, which help maintain the integrity of the elastic quality of blood vessels – an important feature of blood pressure control – and other tissues.
Sodium is a major component of positively charged ions found in cellular tissue. An adequate amount of sodium is important to the overall function of the human body.
Organics, inorganics and chelation
It is critical to grasp the difference between organic and inorganic metal and mineral compounds. Being mammalian organisms, we require specialized types of nutrients and other co-factors to survive and thrive. For example, our bodies require iron to live; we can get iron from nails or from liver…which one is better for your body? Inorganic minerals are not readily metabolized by humans; we require them to be preprocessed by another organism, making them biogenic. When we consume inorganic minerals, our body attempts to convert them to a biogenic compound through a process known as chelation. This chelation process is often disturbed or incomplete, meaning the minerals will exit your body without ever being absorbed and put to good use. Biomolecules can be produced through plants and animals as well synthetically by reacting minerals with ligands such as glycine. The food chain exists for a very important reason; vendors selling ground up dirt are not helping their customers’ health.
Acidity, alkalinity and pH
pH describes the acidity or basicity of an aqueous solution along a logarithmic scale from 0 to 14. ‘Pure’ water has a neutral pH, close to 7.0 at 77 °F (25 °C). Solutions with a pH less than 7 are described as acidic and solutions with a pH greater than 7 are basic or alkaline. Since alkalinity is the sum of the bicarbonate (HCO3-), carbonate (CO3-2) and hydroxide (OH-) buffers, it measures the ability of a solution to neutralize acids. Evidently pH and alkalinity are not the same thing at all. Most of the medical literature indicates that human bodies function well with the appropriate reserves of alkalinity to buffer acidic byproducts of metabolism. Healthy blood is slightly alkaline, and some studies suggest that acidity in the human body can be correlated to a broad spectrum of health maladies. Many enterprising individuals sell ionizing machines and supplements that raise pH, playing in a lack of consumer education. Purchasing an ionizing machine or supplement that only raises pH and not total alkalinity is like trying to cool a room with an ice-cube. At the 2012 WQA Aquatech Convention in Las Vegas, NV, Robert Slovak presented an excellent lecture on the differences between pH and alkalinity specifically as pertaining to human health and nutrition. You’d be wise to review the presentation notes to further assist in your understanding of this subject.
Antioxidants, oxidants and ORP
Experienced water quality improvement professionals will be familiar with ORP. We use ORP measurements (oxidation reduction potential) as an indicator of the effectiveness of oxidizing disinfectants in water, like chlorine and bromine. A positive ORP voltage indicates oxidizing potential, with higher numbers indicating greater disinfection capacity. The alternative health industry has begun promoting the value of ‘negative ORP’ in describing solutions that are anti-oxidants. Negative ORP water has been attributed with numerous health benefits such as increasing cellular hydration, raising physical and mental energy levels, contributing to mitochondrial ATP production, neutralizing free radicals, restoring beneficial intestinal flora, and even curing certain cancers.
Vitamins and electrolytes
An electrolyte is any substance containing free ions to make the substance electrically conductive. Electrolytes are generally solutions of acids, bases or salts. The human body requires specific electrolytes to function properly, especially during periods of exertion or stress. Sodium and potassium salts are the most common forms of electrolytes supplied in aquaceutical concentrates. Vitamins are organic compounds required as vital nutrients in tiny amounts that cannot be synthesized in our bodies and must be supplied from an external source. Vitamins perform a number of biochemical functions. Some vitamins regulate mineral metabolism and others regulate growth and differentiation of cells and tissue. Others function as antioxidants like vitamin E and vitamin C. Most vitamins function as precursors for enzyme cofactors that help enzymes in their work as catalysts in metabolism. Aquaceutical concentrates will generally include vitamins that are not lipid-bound. It is important that a vitamin formulation be manufactured in a way that the ingredients are biochemically balanced and that interfering factors are minimized.
Liquids, powders and effervescence
Aquaceutical concentrates come in a number of forms, with liquids generally being the least shelf-stable. Most manufacturers elect to supply powders and compressed effervescent tablets that quickly dissolve in purified water. Aquaceutical concentrates should always be stored in a temperature-controlled environment to maximize longevity and potency.
It is clear that there are a myriad of aquaceutical options available for the progressive water dealer. There is also a lot of good and bad information out there. It is easy to get confused and discouraged without proper guidance. Research carefully, find good vendors that you can trust, and make sure you understand what you’re selling.
References:
1. Boron, Walter, F.; Boulpaep, E.L. (2004). Medical Physiology: A Cellular And Molecular Approach. Elsevier/Saunders. ISBN 1-4160-2328-3.
2. Cotton, Frank Albert; Geoffrey Wilkinson, Carlos A. Murillo (1999). Advanced Inorganic Chemistry. ISBN 0471199575, 9780471199571
3. Garrels, R.M.; Christ, C.L. (1990). Minerals, Solutions, and Equilibria. London: Jones and Bartlett.
4. Hartwig, J. F. Organotransition Metal Chemistry, from Bonding to Catalysis; University Science Books: New York, 2010. ISBN 189138953X
5. Medical Encyclopedia: Metabolic Acidosis: Causes and symptoms. Nlm.nih.gov. 2011-06-22. Retrieved 2011-07-25.
Glossary
Glycine (abbreviated as Gly or G) is an organic compound with the formula NH2CH2COOH.
A ligand is an ion or molecule that binds to a central metal atom to form a coordination complex.
ORP (Also known as reduction potential, redox potential,) is a measure of the activity or strength of oxidizers and reducers in relation to their concentration. Oxidizers accept electrons; reducers lose electrons. Like acidity and alkalinity, the increase of one is at the expense of the other. ORP is measured in volts (V), or millivolts (mV).
Interfering factors are chemicals that will cause a vitamin, mineral or other nutrient to be less effectively absorbed or utilized by the body.
Aquaceuticals – Drink to your health – Part 1
Water, Nature’s miracle compound, is both an elixir and a destroyer. Two gases combine to create a liquid that preserves life on our entire planet. As a source of hydration, water enables all organisms to survive and thrive. When exposed to carbon dioxide, water forms carbonic acid, a strong solvent that dissolves almost anything it touches. Nature’s strongest solvent can dissolve, absorb and transport many things – both good and bad.
For almost a century, the water quality improvement industry has delivered the very best water at the best price to its customers. Water dealers are able to remove potentially harmful inorganic compounds as well as carcinogens and other organic contaminants from water that our customers use for cleaning, drinking and bathing. We have focused ourselves singularly on stripping contaminants from water and providing our clients with crisp, clear, delicious, water.
The human body requires a delicate balance of electrolytes, vitamins, minerals, beneficial microorganisms and water to function at peak levels. Our 21st century diet and high-stress lifestyle requires proper nutrition to keep us functioning at peak performance levels. Contemporary research suggests that modern agricultural methods and over-hybridization for yield have created a nutritional deficit in agricultural produce; fruits and vegetables are believed to no longer be as healthful as they were in days gone by.
Today, the average consumer clearly believes and understands that she can no longer rely on healthy eating alone to protect herself from the ravages of modern-day living. Many people are turning to vitamin supplements, colloidal minerals, pharmaceuticals and various consumer devices to meet their desire for proper nutrition and hydration. It makes sense that you, the local water quality improvement expert should have an understanding of the aquaceutical and nutraceutical options available to your clients.
While nutritional supplements have been used for centuries to enhance human quality of life, it requires a fundamental paradigm shift to begin exploring the potential opportunities in enhancing water with nutraceuticals and various related technologies. Water quality improvement dealers have generally thumbed their noses at the emerging fringes of our industry that promote various technologies like electrolysis alkalinizers, ORP (oxidation reduction potential) enhancers and nutritional infusers. When one is focused on cleaning water, is seems counter-intuitive to advise customers to add things to their water.
The first important concept to grasp is that water should be considered as a transporter of nutrition, not a source of nutrition itself. Well-intentioned individuals (and even some medical professionals) don’t realize that hard water contains inorganic calcium compounds instead of organically bound calcium that is properly assimilated by the human body. Since so many nutritional products and devices have been marketed by people and companies using ambiguous science and unproven theories, water dealers are generally skeptical of aquaceuticals and alternative water technologies.
While the health-benefits of certain metals, minerals and other nutrients can sometimes be in dispute, it is a fact that our customers want to be healthier and that they are spending billions of dollars each year in the pursuit of improved health, wellness and longevity. A significant opportunity certainly exists for the smart water dealer improve their customer’s physical health and to improve the financial health of their company. When considering nutraceuticals, and aquaceuticals in particular, it is common consensus that the water used to transport nutrition should be as clean as possible, devoid of potential interfering factors like inorganic calcium that can interfere with the uptake of nutrients in the human digestive system or with the ability of the supplement to dissolve properly. Aquaceutical infusion technologies vary amongst concentrates, gels, caplets and even effervescent tablets; all designed to maximize interaction of nutrients and beneficial compounds with the water used to carry them into the human body. A dietary supplement is a product that contains nutrients derived from food. According to the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) of 1994, a dietary supplement is a product taken by mouth that contains a dietary ingredient intended to supplement the diet. The dietary ingredients in these products may include: vitamins, minerals, herbs or other botanicals, amino acids, and substances such as enzymes, metals, living organisms and metabolites. Dietary supplements can also be extracts or concentrates. Dietary supplements do not have to be approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) before marketing. Although supplements claim to provide health benefits, products usually include a conspicuous disclaimer that says, “These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.”
Naturally, a good dealer always adheres to the first rule of smart business (Improve your customer’s lifestyle) so a certain level of due diligence needs to be applied before adding nutraceuticals and other related products to your offerings; research the product or technology and answer the following questions:
- Who are you dealing with? Is this a real business, or just ‘some guy’ over the Internet?
- Does the business have any established reputable resellers?
- Are there any negative Better Business Bureau reviews about the company?
- Can you easily understand the touted benefits of the product or technology?
- Can you explain the technology or product and its benefits in a way that your clients can understand?
- Would you offer it to your own mother?
A few nutraceutical vendors have established training programs specifically for water quality improvement dealers to teach them about the products that work and how to sell them responsibly. The opportunities in water and health are virtually limitless. Start learning now to stay ahead of the competition!
About the author
Standard bio
ElectroSoft – softening without salt
Smart business owners and managers understand that innovation is essential to business longevity and prosperity. In a successful water treatment service company, it is imperative to understand, deploy and maintain cutting-edge technologies to help provide customers with better water.
As we continue to see more misguided attempts at softener bans and a continued emphasis on minimizing our net environmental impact, the need for more environmentally friendly water quality improvement technologies becomes glaringly apparent. Progressive manufacturers have deployed technologies like fractional brining, twin-tank sensor technologies and other innovations that dramatically reduce salt consumption for water softening use to effectively address these concerns. While our industry continues to document and prove that salt-based ion exchange softening has a positive environmental impact, our customers are clamoring progressively louder for salt-free solutions to their hard water problems.
Salt-free softening has been the ’holy grail’ of the water treatment industry for a number of years. The performance criteria for salt-free softening systems are twofold:
- The device must be capable of delivering an effluent hardness level <= 1gpg (17.4 ppm).
- The device must not use any salt (sodium or potassium) in the process of softening the water or when cleaning/regenerating itself.
Currently, the only practical and effective salt-free softening technologies are membrane separations and the electrolytic removal of hardness ions. The purpose of this article is to briefly introduce certain electrolysis technologies and their potential for use in residential applications.
Benefits of EDI
There are many benefits to using an electrolysis technology over traditional ion exchange:
- Simple and consistent operation
- No regeneration chemicals
- Few or no moving parts
- Uniform operation at varying water pressures and water chemistries
Electrodeionization (EDI) is a simply brilliant concept: Water containing ionic impurities is passed through a deionization chamber that contains anionic resin, cationic resin and two electrodes, each separated by semi-permeable membranes of alternating polarity. The electrodes attract ions unidirectionally through resins and out of the feed water stream, which then becomes purified. A concentrated stream of removed ions and water is continuously discharged to drain. Since the electrodes are continuously energized, electrolysis liberates hydrogen and hydroxyl ions from the purified water, donating regenerative ions to the resins and enabling the process to continue indefinitely.
EDI has been used successfully for many years as an effective alternative to acid/alkali deionization. IT is particularly sensitive to sediment, silica, chlorine and calcium carbonate hardness, all of which will interfere with the device’s ability to clean water. Traditional EDI technology is not therefore, generally suitable for use as a softening device. EDI is the technological springboard that has allowed inventors to develop other more appropriate technologies for residential salt-free softening.
Capacitive deionization (CDI) employs electrodes separated by the raw water stream. When the electrodes are charged with DC electricity, they attract inorganic ions from the water and hold onto them with varying degrees of effectiveness, depending on their molecular weight and ionic charge. The electrodes eventually reach their maximum capacity and then need to be cleaned by discharging and reversing electrical polarity. Reversing polarity causes the electrodes to actively repel the ions that they were previously attracted to. This intermittent or ‘batch’ regeneration saves water and energy while reducing capital outlay on equipment materials, as well as allowing for a smaller installation footprint. CDI typically recovers at least 80 percent of the water that it treats, compared to 50-70 percent for most membrane separation offerings.
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| CDI in Service | CDI in Regeneration |
The following should be considered when deploying CDI technology:
While feed water conductivity equivalents (FCE) do not usually need to be calculated for residential applications, influent water should still be tested for hardness, iron, silica, sulfates, conductivity, and alkalinity. Test data must be compared to manufacturer’s specifications to ensure compatibility and appropriate pretreatment.
- Low TDS output water can potentially create corrosion issues, so the product water needs to be TDS-controlled to ensure an output water quality that is compatible with household appliances, faucets and fixtures while still being soft or at a level of calcium hardness that is acceptable to the end-user.
- Any technology that employs electrolysis will produce gases as a byproduct, most notably oxygen, hydrogen and chlorine. These gases need to be safely vented or neutralized.
- A reliable, unswitched electrical supply must be located conveniently to meet the electrical requirements of the appliance. Unlike a traditional salt softener, CDI systems do not soften during power failures, so an uninterruptable power supply (UPS) might be considered in applications requiring a continuous supply of softened water.
- A code-compliant drain must be provided to allow discharge of drain water during a system cleaning cycle.
- A needs analysis should be performed to understand the flow demand in the home. Based on flow demand, the savvy dealer can deploy multiple processors or even utilize retention or blending tanks to provide the required amount of water.
While CDI is a promising technology for water softening, it is not economically viable as an outright replacement for traditional salt-based softeners yet. As large manufacturers embrace the technology and manufacturing processes improve, economics of scale will drive prices downward. As solar-energy production and hydrogen fuel cell technologies become more efficient and cost-effective, it is not inconceivable that water dealers could be installing alternative-energy-powered, electrically regenerated ion exchange systems for their customers within the next 10 years. The concept of a net-zero environmental impact softener now becomes far more realistic than ever before.
One of the most promising CDI offerings that I’ve seen to date is Anil Jha’s Hydronovation system that leverages CDI along with a retention/mixing tank to make the system more affordable.
WQA Aquatech is a venue that certainly emphasizes the need for environmentally responsible water quality management. When you attend the annual show in Las Vegas, Nevada this year, look carefully at the innovative technologies that can sustain your business and take the opportunity to learn from those who are already deploying them.
Glossary:
Electrolysis - Using a direct electric current (DC) to drive an otherwise non-spontaneous chemical reaction.
Mesoporous carbon – Carbon containing pores with diameters between 2 and 50 nm.