- Spas and Hot Tubs
- Water Recycling and Sewage Treatment
- Swimming Pool Purification
- Cooling Towers, boilers, heat exchangers, (ionizing and descaling).
- Evaporative Air Coolers and Humidifiers
- Marine Habitat Systems (for algae and bacteria control)
- Food manufacturing and processing to maintain sterility
- Restaurants, Food Preparation, Processing and Storage
- Coffee Vending Machines
- Poultry Farms, Horses, Veterinary Health
- Fish Farms to boost immunity and prevent infection
- Aquariums, fish tanks
- Decorative Fountains and Ponds (for algae control)
- Hospital Water Systems
Water
Recycling Treatment Systems: Strict EPA guidelines are causing owners of irrigation systems,
municipal garages, boat marines, truck and car wash facilities,
agricultural, construction and trucking industries, equipment rental
firms, utilities and any business with ground water contamination to look
for alternatives. The Biophysica Purifier will work on virtually
any potable water system as long as there is water circulation.
A similar Purifier is being used to clean the Pinellas
County, Florida buses septic systems. This closed loop recycling system
was designed to enable the county to avoid contaminated water discharge
all together by ionizing the contents of the sewage tanks. No discharge means no EPA
permit needed and no need for strict
monitoring. This saves water, stops pollution, eliminates EPA fines, has
low maintenance, has very low operating costs and does not require costly,
complicated chemical additives.
Chlorine is a strong bleach and is dangerous. For nearly 100 years, chlorine has been perceived as the only way to disinfect water in swimming pools. Yet, this method commonly yields red, irritated eyes, dry and brittle hair, swimmers ear, dry itchy skin, bleached out swimsuits, and the residual odor of the chlorine itself, not to mention the wear and tear on all pool equipment and the pool's surface. Studies have linked it with cancer, and scientists have reported that chlorine is a leading cause of erosion of the Earth's ozone layer. A drive to ban chlorine has become one of the most significant environmental fights in decades. Not only are these health hazards associated with chlorine, its actual effectiveness has been questioned. Chlorine will not penetrate and kill large groups of bacteria (biofilm), nor will it effectively kill viruses.
ASTHMA: Are swimming pools to blame?
Cooling Towers: For cooling towers, the Biophysica Purifier can help clean tanks of bacteria and algae, while a Descaler attacks the "scale" and corrosion that commonly build up in such towers.
Marine Habitat Systems: Biophysica employs ionization to purify water bodies similar to the Marine Science Center dolphin/turtle pools systems for bacteria/algae control. Because high levels of chlorine cause damage to the skins of dolphins and turtles, the Marine Science Center employs a chlorine-free system of water purification. Other applications are in Aquaculture and Pisciculture for culture of food marine animals like shrimp, salmon, prawns.
An Ion is any atom with an electrical charge - positive if it has lost an electron, negative if it has an extra electron. An ion , such as metals, with a positive charge is called a cation, while one with a negative charge is known as an anion. To ionize something means to transform the atom into one of these two ionic forms by moving electrons.
It was NASA that first designed an ionization system for their Apollo flights. The Johnson Space Center developed an electrolytic silver ion generator only slightly larger than a cigarette pack and weighing only 9 ounces. This small ionizer required minimal power and no astronaut monitoring. Mounted at various locations in the potable water supply and wastewater systems, the ionizer would dispense silver ions to eliminate bacteria and viruses. In 1962, silver was approved for use in drinking water by the U.S. Public Health Service.
Today, copper is recognized as one of the best algaecide killers known to man. Oxides and sulfates of copper are used for pesticides, algaecides and fungicides. Pool stores worldwide sell copper based algaecide to kill black algae - the toughest of all to kill.
Silver has been known as an effective bacteria and virus killer for centuries. Silver sulphate is the standard antibacterial treatment for burns and any type or an open wound, and is used to protect the eyes of newborns. Activated carbon filters, for drinking water purification, are impregnated with silver to prevent bacterial build-up. Silver is used as the drinking water purification for half the world's airlines and in over 1,000 passenger ships. Soft drink, beer, liquor, wine and other beverages are rendered safe and more palatable by the addition of silver in over 60 countries.
Several studies by major universities have documented the effectiveness of the copper/silver ionization system.
When copper and silver ions are released into the water, these cationic, surface-active ions are a potent microbicide. The disinfection action takes place when the positively charged copper and silver ions form electrostatic bonds negatively charged areas on the microorganism cell walls. These electrostatic bonds create stresses which damage the microbe cell wall permeability, minimizing the normal intake of life sustaining nutrients and hydrogen. Once inside an algae cell, copper and silver attack sulfur containing amino acid residues in the proteins used for photosynthesis (the process of converting light into usable food and energy). As a result, photosynthesis is blocked and lead to cell lysis and death. If the algae cell manages to live, the reproduction process is hampered by the presence of the copper ions and the spread of algae is held in check. Bacteria is killed, rather that suppressed.
The greatest benefit of copper/silver ionization is that the ions remain in the water providing a long-term residual protection. They provide long-term, nontoxic purification and prevent against recontamination. Unlike most other types of sanitizers, the copper and silver ions remain in the water until they flocculate, or form masses with algae and bacteria and then become large enough to be removed by the filtering equipment. When the "used" copper and silver ions are removed, the microprocessor control box is always producing new copper and silver ions to continuously sanitize the water. Generally the setting of the microprocessor is kept at the same setting, thus a proper amount of copper and silver ions are always in the water. If your test kit shows a copper-ion level too low, simply turn the control knob up a notch. The digital display will show the milliamp charge going to the electrodes. Even if the unit was turned off, the copper and silver ions remain in the water until they flocculate with algae and bacteria, and are removed by the filtering system. Sometimes this can last several months!
The Biophysica purification system consists of a state-of-the-art, microprocessor control box and a scientifically designed set of electrodes composed of copper and silver that are set slightly apart from each other. Water is passed through a specially built flow-cell chamber that houses the electrodes.
The control box works by generating a precise, low-voltage, DC current at milliamp levels to the electrodes. These electrodes consist of a metal-plated cathode and a metal-plated anode. A current is passed between the cathode and the anode, thus producing copper and silver ions by normal plating. Basically, the current causes some of the outermost atoms of the electrodes to lose an electron, thus becoming positive ions. In the specially developed flow cell charging chamber, 100% of the water will pass through the electrodes. While the water is running through the chamber, many of these ions are swept away before they can reach the other side of the electrodes. As a result, copper and silver ions are dispersed into the body of water that is being purified.
The amount of ions introduced is controlled by the microprocessor control box, an adjustable transformer that changes 110 or 220 volt AC current from the power source to a low voltage DC current. The higher the charge, the more ions are released. the amount of ions in the water are determined by a simple copper-ion test kit. The electrodes were designed that when the proper copper-ion level is obtained, the silver level will be correct too. Both the anode and cathode are plated with the same mixture of copper and silver. The polarity is switched back and forth between the electrodes two elements every five (5) minutes to prevent plating of the cathode - a process that reduces the electrode's surface area over time. The polarity change assures equal cleanliness, wear and tear of the two electrodes and prolongs life.
The Biophysica Purification System is easy to operate, requires little maintenance and is backed by a 5 year warranty. The copper and silver ionization has been tested to kill cryptosporidium, E-Coli, V. Cholera, Legionnaires Disease, http://www.biophysica.com/microbiology.html Our system is likely to be at least partially effective against many other types of bacteria and viruses, such as
- avian flu, influenza, polio, sars, ebola, hepatitis, meningitis, norwalk, monkeypox, aids, herpes, west nile, mad cow.
The Biophysica Purification System can be used on virtually any body of water. There are such systems on tens of thousands of swimming pools, spas, cooling towers, hospital water supplies, marine habitat aquariums, fish ponds, cisterns, lakes, quarries, pilas, drinking water systems - under the counter, household, and bottled water systems.
Ultra-Violet Light
We can include UV light within all of our charging chambers. However UV alone does not provide residual disinfection. Look at our UV page
Case Studies from Waterworld Magazine: Disinfection
"UV treatment keeps bacteria out of wastewater receiving stream"
When selecting equipment for a new wastewater treatment facility, the City of Fairfield, Ohio, wanted a non-chemical solution for the final disinfection of its treated wastewater.
The city chose In-Line Ultraviolet (UV) systems from a wastewater and an effluent re-use disinfection
specialist. The closed vessel, medium pressure systems destroy fecal
coliform bacteria in the plant's effluent stream before it is discharged to the Great Miami River.
"UV disinfection facility treats stormwater runoff"
Moonlight Beach in Encinitas, CA, has had a history of beach contamination warnings due to unsafe bacteria levels in its waters. Like many other California beaches, the beach has fallen victim to pollution from urban runoff. Last year however, the City of Encinitas took decisive steps to halt the pollution with the installation of an urban runoff treatment system which incorporates Ultra Violet (UV) technology.
The water to be purified passes through a special
treatment cell where it is exposed to the electrodes. These are activated
by a low, precisely controlled alternating
self-cleaning direct current. The electrodes release
copper ions (Cu++) and silver ions (Ag+). A large proportion of these ions
accumulate in the quartz sand of the filter, so that this, with its
extremely large surface area, acts as an additional disinfection cell and
no bacterial foci can be formed in the filter. A further portion of these
ions also pass into the pool with the water flow, where they develop their
long-term residual anti-bacterial, antiviral and algaecidal effects.
Several studies
conducted by major universities have
shown that copper and silver ions are extremely effective purification
agents. When copper and silver ions are released into the water, these
surface-active cations act as potent, long-term, natural disinfectants. In only
a few minutes (8 minutes in
our lab results), the copper and silver ions with their positive
charge form electrostatic bonds with the negatively charged areas of the
cell walls of microorganisms. When these bonds are formed, the
permeability of the microbe cell wall is altered to such an extent that the normal
nutrient uptake of the microorganism is impaired and it becomes disrupted.
Once
copper and silver penetrate an algae or bacterial cell, they attack the
sulphur-based amino acids in the cell proteins, which the cell requires
for photosynthesis. As a result, photosynthesis is prevented and the
microbial cell dies.
For this reason, electrophysical water ionization is one of the most effective alternatives to use of the standard
"chemical warfare".
Other advantages reported by magnetic treatment of
water are that it provides natural,
odourless, soft and skin-friendly water which is ideal for children and in
health care.
It has already been known for centuries that silver
and copper destroy bacteria and viruses, even those which are resistant to chlorine.
Silver sulphate and nitrate are frequently used in the
antibacterial treatment of burns and open wounds and are used to
protect the eyes of newborn babies from infection.
As a trace element, copper plays a vital role in
human metabolism. Copper is essential to the activity of many proteins and
enzymes. It promotes the formation of skin pigments and has important
functions in bone metabolism and in the central nervous system. As the
body is not itself capable of producing copper, it must obtain copper from
nutrients (such as vegetables, wholemeal bread, nuts and oats). Only a low
number of copper ions are normally taken up by the body from drinks and
beverages. The level of copper required for swimming pool purification and
to prevent formation of algae is between 0.5 and 0.7mg/l
(parts per million). The specified upper concentration of copper in
the German drinking water regulations is 3 mg/l. Any superfluous copper
ions taken up by adults are not accumulated, but are eliminated from the
body.
However, the most important advantage of copper and
silver ions is that they are retained in the water and continue to provide
protection by purifying the water completely without the use of toxins over the long term. Even after the filter system has been switched off,
this depot effect persists for several months. Thus, frequent adjustments,
monitoring, and supervision, are much less necessary.
The Biophysica water purification system is easy to
operate and requires minimal maintenance. It has been demonstrated that
copper and silver ions eliminate Cryptosporidium, E. coli, the cholera and
legionnaires' disease pathogens and several hundred other species of bacteria and viruses. This water
disinfection technique can be used in practically all situations in which
it is necessary to continually ensure freedom from contamination with
bacteria, viruses and algae. The BIOPHYSICA type of system has already
been installed in thousands of swimming pools and whirlpools.
Frequently Asked Questions on
Industrial Water Disinfection,
Descaling and Ionization
What is an Ion?
What is Ionization?
How does Ionization work?
How does silver / copper
ionization purify water?
Is ionization all that you need
for your water?
Is ionization safe?
How is ionization safer than
chemicals?
How is ionization better than
chemicals?
What are the operational costs
of ionization?
How often will I have to test
the water?
Tell me about water
purification?
Do these systems use distilled, Reverse Osmosis
water or tap water?
Are all your systems in-line?
Do they use all standard
techniques like stirring motor,
constant current for making high
quality colloidal silver, etc?
Can these systems be used for
both water purification and
surface disinfectant?
Do these models have easily
replaceable electrodes?
Do these models produce high
quality colloidal silver tested
in labs against bacteria and
viruses?
What is the cost of these models
?
Can I buy one model to do
everything?
What warranty is available?
Is there a discount on the
price?
What options are available?
What quality of water can I
expect?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q. What is an Ion?
A. Ions are positively or
negatively charged atoms.
Q. What is Ionization?
A. The electronic release of
silver and copper ions and
particles of nanometre and
mono-atomic size.
Q. How does Ionization work?
A. A safe low voltage DC current
of alternating polarity
(self-cleaning) is applied to
the silver & copper electrodes.
As the ions attempt to move from
one electrode to the other, many
of them become suspended in the
water.
Q. How does silver / copper
ionization purify water?
A. Copper ions have the ability
to pierce the protective outer
membrane of a cell and disrupt
enzyme balance thereby killing
algae. Silver is effective
because of its capabilities of
interfering with DNA production
and accelerating the death phase
of bacteria and viruses.
Although lethal to bacteria and
algae, this process is
completely safe for humans. A
multitude of scientific tests
have been done proving the
effectiveness of copper-silver
ion systems in and spa
applications. Experimentation at
the University of Arizona proves
that such mineral ions, in
conjunction with trace chlorine
are 1,000 times more effective
against algae than chlorine
alone. Today the use of these
metals is widespread and highly
advanced as is the equipment
used to produce them for water
treatment.
Q. Is ionization all that you
need for your water?
A. Silver & copper ionization
completely purifies water
leaving long-term residual
anti-microbial potency. It is
usually necessary to add a small
amount of an oxidizing agent
(chlorine or non-chlorine shock)
periodically to help break down
excess organic debris, suntan
and body oils etc.
Q. Is ionization safe?
A. Not only is it safe, but the
minerals used for water
purification are recognized as
essential minerals to the body.
Normal concentration in spas and
hot tubs is about 1/3 the amount
allowed by the Environmental
Protection Agency for drinking
water.
Q. How is ionization safer than
chemicals?
A. Most, if not all of the
chemicals currently used to
purify water are caustic and or
toxic. Many of which are now
thought to be Carcinogenic.
Q. How is ionization better than
chemicals?
A. The need for high levels of
chemicals is eliminated. Also
eliminated are the strong
chemical odors, damaging effects
on hair, skin, fabrics, liners
and spa equipment.
Q. What are the operational
costs of ionization?
A. In most cases, the electrodes
will last three to five years
and are relatively inexpensive
to replace. The only other cost
is the electrical consumption
which is only a few dollars a
year.
Q. How often will I have to test
the water?
A. You will need to test the ion
level every few weeks and
maintain proper acid-base
balance. The ion system is pH
neutral so it will not change
your water balance like
chemicals do.
Q: Tell me about water
purification?
The most ideal application is
the batch technique where you
would have a holding tank or
swimming pool which is becoming
slowly and carefully more and
more charged by recirculating
the water using a pump over many
hours or days up to a high
concentration of ions and high
quality for drinking, and where
you might want to use distilled
water for the highest quality,
but not necessarily. All of our
systems can charge water
recirculated by a pump through a
holding tank or can be used in
the water line to purify a water
supply such as from a ground
spring or fountain where there
may be septic contamination.
Alternately in an industrial
application such as water supply
of tap water for a hotel, cruise
ship, apartment building,
village or town the water may
flow only once through the
chamber and then on to the user.
Here you would not have time to
produce the highest quality
ionization due to the fraction
of a second exposure to the
electrodes and where the
charging electrical current
would have to be much higher in
order to release the maximum
number of charged atoms in that
short time. In other words you
would have to sacrifice some
quality by having larger
clusters of atoms while
concentration would not be more
than 1 ppm.
Q: Do these systems use
distilled water or tap water?
A: They can use either depending
on whether the water is for
drinking or for disinfection. It
would be unnecessary and
wasteful to use expensive
distilled water for uses other
than drinking. In actual fact,
even for drinking purposes,
distilled water is not
absolutely necessary because of
our proprietary constant current
control which maintains charging
at appropriate levels regardless
of poor quality or pollution of
the tap, well or lake water.
Q: Are all your systems in-line?
A: All of these systems are
in-line; meaning that water is
continually flowing through the
charging chamber. Each inline
system can be used 24 hours per
day. Recirculating the water for
several days through a holding
tank or swimming pool allows the
charge to be accumulated to a
high level after many passes.
Q: Do they use all standard
techniques like stirring motor,
constant current for making high
quality colloidal silver, etc?
A: A pump or stirring motor is
always needed to maintain flow
unless there is inherent flow
from a outside pressurized
supply. All of our CS generators
use High Frequency Modulated
Pulses, Constant Current Control
and Alternating Polarity of
electrodes to maintain equal
wear and to keep the electrodes
cleaner and free of oxide
deposit which limits Silver,
Gold, Copper or Zinc atom
release.
Q: Can these systems be used for
both water purification and
surface disinfectant?
A: All of our systems can be
used for both water purification
and surface cleansing. In
addition we also provide
descaling options in situations
of excess water hardness causing
deposits on the inside of pipes,
radiators, coolers, humidifiers.
We even have a 12 volt
automobile water descaling
system to remove scale from car
radiators, and a solar cell
operated water purification
system.
Q: Do these models have easily
replaceable electrodes?
A: All models have an easily
replaceable cartridge containing
new electrodes which can be made
of pure Silver or various alloy
mixtures of Silver, Gold, Copper
and Zinc depending on the
application. The old cartridge
is unscrewed from the threaded
2" pipe of the charging chamber
and the new one screwed in
place. Electrodes are easily
replaced by screwing in a new
cartridge, without any plumbing.
No other items need to be
replaced and no chemicals are
needed.
Q: Do these models produce high
quality colloidal silver tested
in labs against bacteria and
viruses?
A: Lab tests have been done
against bacteria and two reports
can be seen and printed out at
http://www.biophysica.com/microbiology.html
and at
http://www.biophysica.com/analysis.htm
It is reasonable to assume that
the charged water produced here
might have benefits against bird
flu, avian flu, infected
poultry, Influenza, polio, sars,
ebola, hepatitis, meningitis,
norwalk, monkeypox, aids,
herpes, west nile, mad cow (prion),
staphylococci, streptococci,
cholera, measles, rabies, staph
infection that cannot be cured
by the usual penicillin-related
antibiotics, methicillin-resistant
staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).
Q: What is the cost of these
models ?
With regard to prices, we find
that for moderately large
volumes over 100,000 gallons, we
have to spend considerable
professional scientific
consultation time and
concentration to ensure that our
customers have the optimal
system matched to their needs.
Consequently $5000 to $6000 is
often a modest cost for this
highly advanced recent
technology and back-up support,
which has evolved from the
marriage of Electronics,
Chemistry and Biophysics.
Sometimes one customer may need
two or more differently tailored
systems for different
applications. Without some
details of your requirements it
is difficult to predict more
precisely. For economy, we can
offer for each model a
"Bare-Bones" stripped-down
inexpensive completely
functional version without UV
light, digital display meter,
windowed control box or
transparent charging chamber
(opaque instead).
Q: Can I buy one model to do
everything?
A: Each application requires
special consideration and there
is more literature and private
consultation available. An
additional factor is that for
purification of municipal
drinking water and for swimming
pools the charging system
usually introduces substantial
Copper ions in addition to
Silver ions and mono-atomic
colloidal particles.
Concentration is usually 0.3 to
1 ppm and usually Chlorine can
be added in one tenth
concentration (0.1 ppm) than the
usual (1 ppm). A trace amount of
Copper is safe in drinking water
and has additional benefits
especially against Algae and
protozoa.
If you would like only one
system for everything, then
ideally there should be no
Copper or Chlorine in the
drinking water and the
electrodes will be of the
highest quality medically pure
Silver, which we can provide.
However cisterns and holding
tanks for drinking water systems
in Mexico, Central and South
America, Africa and the
Caribbean Islands use Silver,
Copper and Chlorine combined
synergistically because of the
extremely heavy pollution there.
You should therefore let us know
what are your parameters and ask
yourself: Is money of greatest
concern or is quality your
priority?
Q: What warranty is available?
A: All Ionizer products carry a
full five (5) year warranty to
be free from defects in material
and workmanship under normal use
from date of purchase. This
warranty does not include
replacement electrodes, which
are subject to normal wear and
must be replaced every one or
two years. This warranty does
not cover normal wear and tear
on cable connections and wiring
outside the control box which
may be subject to corrosion
after several years especially
in a humid or salty
environment.
Q: Is there a discount on the
price?
A: Discount is available for
more than one system. Be aware
that we may have to charge extra
for professional scientific
consultation time beyond one
free half-hour in order to
tailor the system and electrodes
to your specific needs in order
to ensure the highest quality
results.
Q: What options are available?
A extra colloidal drinking water
option with these generators
includes a motorised stirrer
plate which plugs into the
Ioniser in addition to and
separate from the in-line
ioniser chamber. The picture
below shows the Stirrer plate
option with motorised stirrer
and electrode retaining
connectors for a wide range of
electrode sizes.
Q: What quality of water can I
expect?
A: We recently sent samples of
our water to an independent
laboratory (see results). The
results showed that we have
achieved the highest quality in
the industry, as evidenced by
small nanometre-sized spherical
charged particles.
At Biophysica, we still consider
ourselves world-class experts in
the area of highest quality,
fine, concentrated (20 -100 ppm)
mono-atomic drinking water
especially in attempting to
combat vicious small viruses and
Prions. For this critical
consumption application we
always use Distilled Water as
the basis. For large pools and
holding tanks we recommend
several ionizers at various
points around the pool. Beyond
2.4 million gallons, we can
provide a custom high power
system.
Comparison of Chlorine Disinfection Systems with Copper/Silver Ionization
|
1. Permanent pH monitoring required, at least once weekly
|
1. Monthly pH monitoring advisable. |
|
2. Permanent chlorine monitoring required, at least once weekly |
2. Measurement of copper levels every 3 months using inexpensive kit. |
|
3. Causes reddened, irritated eyes |
3. No eye irritation. |
|
4. Causes dry, flaking skin. |
4. Silky soft skin. |
|
5. Storage of the product and frequent replenishment. |
5. Electrodes have a life of 4 - 5 years |
|
6. Marked odour, particularly in public baths |
6. Water with neutral odour |
|
7. Corrosive risk to users and to clothing, particularly if fluid
chlorine is used. |
7. Fully automatic, risk-free release of biocompatible ions. |
|
8. Use of additional agents required to regulate pH. |
8. Occasional agents required for
pH regulation |
|
9. Bath requires supervision over longer periods of absence |
9. No supervision necessary during absence of four weeks. |
|
10.Use of additional flocculators necessary. |
10.Automatic flocculation. |
|
11.Use of agents necessary during winter breaks. |
11.No algae formed during winter periods |
|
12.Use of algaecides necessary. |
12.No additional algaecidal agents required. |
|
13.Showering advisable after bathing |
13. Bathing in drinking quality water. Cleaner than most tap water. |
|
14.Can cause irritation of respiratory tract and asthma in children. |
14. Water contains no irritants.
Can be safely swallowed or inhaled. |
|
15.Risk of corrosive effects on pool elements and environment. |
15. No corrosive characteristics. |
|
16.Hard water |
16. Detectably softer water thanks to electrolysis and mild alkalizing
effect. |
|
17.Low buffer capacity. |
17.Constant release of ions from electrodes. |
|
18.Chlorine is a potential health risk. |
18.Copper is a healthy essential element. |
|
19. Expensive to maintain. |
19.Maintenance cost only 50% of chlorine systems. |
|
20. Requires extensive maintenance. |
20.Minimal maintenance. |
|
21.Chlorinated water should be changed once annually |
21.No water change necessary. |
|
22.Replacement of filter sand every 2 – 3 years |
22.Replacement of filter sand every 10 years. |
|
23.Expensive when basalt and hydroanthracite are used. |
23.Standard quartz sand can be used for filters. |
|
24.Rapid loss of efficacy if exposed to heating or strong sunlight. |
24.Environmental influences have no effect. |
|
25.Backwash water must be discarded. |
25. Backwash water can be used to water plants and enhances their
growth. Safe for pets to drink. |