'Hydroxite' as magic filter media 1

[jporter26]

I am reading of a new and almost miraculous method for the filtration of water with the use of hydroxite as part of a sand filter media. It comes 'equiped with retention tank and dula ionization and oxygen electrodes'. They are big on the Web with the name of Ecosmart.

Sounds like a snake oil thing or maybe they are simply stretching the results to make us think that it all capable of removing everything from water.

Please: any comments appreciated.

Jim Porter

 

[GarySCWSVI]

If it sounds to good to be true it just might not be true. Caution should be excersized when evaluating. I did not see any "independent, disinterested, third party testing" indicated on the web site. That would include NSF, UL, WQA or other testing facilities. They do show a water analysis done by National Testing Labs, however, they do not show a "before" analysis. They also obliterated the "Customer Name and Dealer Name". That analysis makes no reference to any pretreatment.

Gary Schreiber, CWS VI
The Purolite Co.

 

[jporter26]

Thanks Gary: I spent some time on the web also. The original came from a company called ECOsmarte. There was another that came in with the same line with a product called 'Eliminator'.

I have been teaching classes in water quality and energy for some time now and this one did smell of 'snake oil'.

Remember 'Evis'.?

Jim Porter

 

[Muggle]

What is being referred to here is electro-coagulation. Basically using sacrifical aluminum or iron electrode to coagulate organics such as FOG, phosphate, varous heavy metals. The "oxygen electrode" is a reference to the increased DO that occurs from the splitting of the oxygen-hydrogen bond of the water where sufficient voltage is applied. EcoSmarte and others use hyperbole and rhetoric to make a very common practice sound like the greatest thing since sliced bread. Just a merging of electro-coagualtion and chlorine generation.

We deal with true electrolytic oxidation - no sacrifical electrodes, no chlorine generation. Where properly utilzied, saturation of DO- even supersaturation possible, as well as creation of numerous hydroxyl radical ions and other oxy-radicals.

The key here is the term "filtration" not oxidation/redox - because they are flocculating/coagulating organics.

Dave Orlebeke/Aquatic Technologies