Increase Life span with ALKALINE WATER

 

What Is Alkaline Water and What Are the Benefits?

It’s no secret that drinking the recommended eight glasses of water a day is good for your health. Staying hydrated can improve your productivity, mood, memory, energy level, and clarity. But what if we told you that there’s something you can drink that will not only hydrate you faster and longer than regular drinking water, but also improve your blood, bone, and organ health – would you believe us? Well, you better…because it’s true with alkaline water!

Alkaline Water

To put it simply, alkaline water is water that has a higher potential hydrogen than regular drinking water. The pH level is measured by the amount of hydrogen ions that exists in a given solution. High concentrations of hydrogen ions yield a low pH (acidic substances), whereas low levels of hydrogen ions result in a high pH (basic substances)

The pH scale ranges from 0 to 14. Anything below 7 (ranging from 0 to 6.9) is acidic, and anything above 7 (ranging from 7.1 to 14) is basic. The blood in your veins is slightly basic (pH = 7.4), whereas soap (pH = 12) and bleach (pH = 13) are highly basic. On the other hand, coffee is slightly acidic (pH = 5) and tomato juice (pH = 4) and lemon juice (pH = 2) are highly acidic.

The term alkaline gets used interchangeably with basic but they’re not exactly the same. Alkaline compounds (alkali) are substances, like salts, metals, and minerals, that, when added to water, make it more basic. Water always contains some amount of dissolved solids including minerals like calcium, magnesium, potassium, and sodium, but alkaline water tends to have a higher amount TOTAL DISSOLVED SOLID (TDS), which increases its pH level. Regular drinking water is typically neutral with a pH level of 7 and alkaline water is slightly basic with a pH level of about 8 or 9.

Acids, Bases, & the pH Scale

What is an acid or a base?

Whether a liquid is an acid or a base has to do with hydrogen ions (abbreviated with the chemical symbol H⁺). In water (H₂O), a small number of the molecules dissociate (split up). Some of the water molecules lose a hydrogen and become hydroxide ions (OH⁻). The "lost" hydrogen ions join up with water molecules to form hydronium ions (H₃O⁺). For simplicity, hydronium ions are referred to as hydrogen ions H⁺. In pure water, there are an equal number of hydrogen ions and hydroxide ions. The solution is neither acidic nor basic.

An acid is a substance that donates hydrogen ions. Because of this, when an acid is dissolved in water, the balance between hydrogen ions and hydroxide ions is shifted. Now there are more hydrogen ions than hydroxide ions in the solution. This kind of solution is acidic.
A base is a substance that accepts hydrogen ions. When a base is dissolved in water, the balance between hydrogen ions and hydroxide ions shifts the opposite way. Because the base "soaks up" hydrogen ions, the result is a solution with more hydroxide ions than hydrogen ions. This kind of solution is alkaline.

What is pH?

Acidity and alkalinity are measured with a logarithmic scale called pH. Here is why: a strongly acidic solution can have one hundred million million, or one hundred trillion (100,000,000,000,000) times more hydrogen ions than a strongly basic solution! The flip side, of course, is that a strongly basic solution can have 100,000,000,000,000 times more hydroxide ions than a strongly acidic solution. Moreover, the hydrogen ion and hydroxide ion concentrations in everyday solutions can vary over that entire range.

In order to deal with these large numbers more easily, scientists use a logarithmic scale, the pH scale. Each one-unit change in the pH scale corresponds to a ten-fold change in hydrogen ion concentration. The pH scale is theoretically open-ended but most pH values are in the range from 0 to 14. It's a lot easier to use a logarithmic scale instead of always having to write down all those zeros! By the way, notice how one hundred million million is a one with fourteen zeros after it? It is not coincidence, it is logarithms!

To be more precise, pH is the negative logarithm of the hydrogen ion concentration:

pH = −log [H⁺]

The square brackets around the H⁺ automatically mean "concentration" to a chemist. What the equation means is just what we said before: for each 1-unit change in pH, the hydrogen ion concentration changes ten-fold. Pure water has a neutral pH of 7. pH values lower than 7 are acidic, and pH values higher than 7 are alkaline (basic). Table 1 has examples of substances with different pH values (Decelles, 2002; Environment Canada, 2002; EPA, date unknown).

Common examples of acids and bases

Electrodeionization

Electrodeionization (EDI) is a water treatment technology that utilizes electricity, ion exchange membranes, and resin to deionize water and separate dissolved ions (impurities) from water. It differs from other water purification technologies in that it is done without the use of chemical treatments and is usually a polishing treatment to reverse osmosis (RO). There are also EDI units that are often referred to as continuous electrodeionization (CEDI) since the electric current regenerates the resin mass continuously. CEDI technique can achieve very high purity, with a conductivity below 0.1 μS/cm.In the electrodesionization (EDI) can be differentiated 3 stages, so the basics of EDI reside in the simultaneity of the following processes.

- Electrodialisis: with a continuously applied electric current, both positive and negative ions are directed to those electrodes that have a load opposite. The permeable membranes to anions and cations are responsible for directing them to the concentrate area.

- Ion exchange: in the area between the different membranes is the resin that has different types of load. The salts present in the water are adhere to the ion exchange resin, moving opposite to their load.Finally, they arereplaced in resin exchange positions by hydroxyl anions and hydrogen cations.

- Regeneartion: the continuous regeneration is made by hydrogen ions and hydroxyl groups. This occurs thanks to the dissociation of the molecules of water that occurs in the anode and cathode when applying electric current.

Quality of the feed

In order to offer all its potential, water needs a pre-treatment, usually is reverse osmosis. Feed water must follow certain requirements, these parameters are fixed before to prevent the damage of the equipment. Some parameters are.

- The hardness of feed water must be generally < 1ppm CaCO3

- Silica content (SiO3) must be < 1ppm

- CO2 must be monitored to prevent precipitation of carbonates.

History

To eliminate or minimize the concentration polarization phenomenon present in electrodialysis systems, electrodeionization originated in the late 1950s. In 1956, William Katz at Ionics developed one of the first Descriptions of electrodeionization and published his paper "The Present Status of Electric Membrane Demineralization" at the International Water Conference.

The technology was limited in application due to the low tolerance of hardness and organics. During the 1970s and 1980s reverse osmosis became a preferred technology to ion exchange resin for high TDS waters. As RO gained popularity, it was determined that EDI would be a suitable polishing technology. Packaged RO and EDI systems were used to displace chemically regenerated ion exchange systems.

In 1986 and 1989, companies like Millipore, Ionpure and Ionics Inc. developed electrodeionization devices. The initial devices were large, costly and often unreliable. In 1995 Glegg Water Conditioning introduced E-Cell brand electrodeionization. The new technology reduced cost and improved reliability, based on a modular design standard. E-Cell was also offered to many OEMS and revolutionized the industry. Competitors soon followed with modular leak-free designs.

Presently, this technology is widely available from many water treatment companies, but should only be applied by experts who understand the limitations and use top quality products

Applications

When fed with low total dissolved solids (TDS) feed (e.g., feed purified by RO), the product can reach very high purity levels (e.g., 18 megohms/cm, Resistivity / Conductivity Measurement of Purified Water). The ion exchange resins act to retain the ions, allowing these to be transported across the ion exchange membranes. The main applications of EDI technology, such as that supplied by Ionpure, E-cell and SnowPure, are in electronics, pharmaceuticals and power generation.

Theory

An electrode in an electrochemical cell is referred to as either an anode or a cathode, terms that were coined by Michael Faraday. The anode is defined as the electrode at which electrons leave the cell and oxidation occurs, and the cathode is the electrode at which electrons enter the cell and reduction occurs. Each electrode may become either the anode or the cathode depending on the voltage applied to the cell. A bipolar electrode is an electrode that functions as the anode of one cell and the cathode of another cell.

Each cell consists of an electrode and an electrolyte with ions that undergo either oxidation or reduction. An electrolyte is a substance containing free ions that behave as an electrically conductive medium. Because they generally consist of ions in solution, electrolytes are also known as ionic solutions, but molten electrolytes and solid electrolytes are also possible. They are sometimes referred to in abbreviated jargon as lytes.

Water is passed between an anode (positive electrode) and a cathode (negative electrode). Ion-selective membranes allow the positive ions to separate from the water toward the negative electrode and the negative ions toward the positive electrode. High purity deionized water results.

Installation scheme

Electrodeionization installation scheme

The typical EDI installation has the following components: anode and cathode, anion exchange membrane, cation exchange membrane and the resin. The most simplified configuration consist in 3 compartments, to increase the production these number can be increased.

The cations flow towards the cathode and the anions flows toward the anode. Only anions can go through the anion exchange membrane and only cations can go through the cation exchange membrane. This configuration allows anions and cations to only flow in one direction because of the membranes and the electric force, leaving the feed water free of ions, (deionized water).

The concentration flows (right and left of the feed flow) are rejected and they can be wasted, recycled, or used in another process.

The purpose of the ion exchange resin is to maintain stable conductance of the feed water. Without the resins, the conductance will drop dramatically as the concentration of ions is decreasing. Such drop off of conductance makes it very difficult to eliminate 100% of the ions, but using resins makes it possible.

What Are the Benefits of Alkaline Water?

The idea that alkaline water is medicinal, curative, and able to bring about optimal health seems to be based on the belief that acidic properties in the body and blood are the cause of ill health and disease and need to be neutralized. Therefore, a more alkaline body will lead to better health.

Alkaline water contains four major minerals that contribute to its remarkable health benefits:

1.    Calcium: Important for bone health, as well as heart, muscle, and nerve function

2.    Magnesium: Helps turn food into energy and is necessary for over 300 biochemical reactions in the body

3.    Sodium: Regulates blood pressure and volume, and supports nerve/muscle function

4.    Potassium: A type of electrolyte that is essential for muscle function and promotes healthy digestion

There are many claims when it comes to the benefits of drinking alkaline water, including immune system support, weight loss, and cancer resistance. Although these claims are notable, they lack proven scientific research. However, there are several incredible health benefits to drinking alkaline water that have been scientifically proven and we are here to share them with you.

Improve Bone Health

Some research has been done on the effects of alkaline intake on bones. A study published in the scientific journal Bone found a positive effect on bone resorption with people who consumed alkaline water rich in bicarbonate. Bone resorption is the process where old bone cells are broken down and replaced by new ones. Less bone resorption and more mineral density result in better bone strength. The authors of the study concluded that “a bicarbonate- and calcium-rich alkali mineral water decreased bone resorption more than a calcium-rich acidic mineral water.”

Soothe Acid Reflux

A study published in Annals of Otology, Rhinology & Laryngology found that drinking alkaline water at pH 8.8 can help soothe acid reflux because the higher pH level kills pepsin, an enzyme involved in breaking down food proteins and a main cause for acid reflux. Acid reflux is when the contents of the stomach, which are acidic, splash back up the food pipe. Acid reflux that keeps happening for a long time can cause damage and a disease known as gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD.

Reduce High Blood Pressure, Blood Sugar, and Cholesterol

In 2016, scientists in Shanghai found that three to six months after drinking alkaline water, people with high blood pressure (hypertension), high blood sugar (diabetes), and high blood lipids (cholesterol) had lower measures in each of these factors. Researchers found that a high-pH electrolyte water reduced blood viscosity, the thickness and stickiness of your blood, in 100 adults after exercising. This may help reduce cardiovascular strain due to dehydration.

Enhance Hydration

A 2017 study published in Biology of Sport found that drinking alkaline water shows a positive effect on hydration status after anaerobic exercise with a significant decrease of specific urine gravity.¹⁶ Intake of alkaline water also shows a positive effect on urine pH during the anaerobic test protocol, and much more efficient lactate utilization after the high-intensity interval exercise.¹⁷ In addition to enhanced hydration, efficient lactate utilization results in increased energy, as lactate serves as an energy source in skeletal muscles.¹⁸

In contrast, subjects who consumed regular drinking water showed no changes over the same period of time. These results indicate that the habitual consumption of alkaline water may be a valuable nutritional vector influencing both acid-base balance and hydration status, as well as energy levels in active healthy adults.¹⁹

Increase Longevity

A study published in 2016 looked at the effect of consuming alkaline water on 150 mice over a period of three years. Results suggested that those who drank alkaline water had signs of greater longevity, in other words, they aged less and were more likely to live longer. Histological examination of mice kidneys, intestines, hearts, livers, and brains was performed in order to verify the risk of diseases correlated to drinking alkaline water. No significant damage, but aging changes, emerged; organs of alkaline watered animals resulted to be relatively superimposable to controls