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Purification Technology

DrinkMore Water is very distinct from ordinary spring and mineral waters because of the
custom-engineered system we use to purify the water. This unique system, available for your inspection at
our state-of-the-art bottling facility, incorporates twelve steps to ensure DrinkMore Waters absolute
purity.
Following is a detailed description of each of the steps in our purification process. While this material is
fairly technical, this piece is intended for a general audience. Those readers with additional questions
about DrinkMore Waters technology may directly contact the engineer who designed the system (who
also happens to be our founder!), Bob Perini.
1. Sediment Filtration
Our complex purification process begins with a
simple, pleated-paper sediment filter. This filter
traps relatively large particles which may be
present in the water-things like dirt, sand, slime
and grit. Take a look at the difference between
dirty filters and brand new filters. Obviously, its
necessary to start
our
purification
process with this
basic step in order to
remove these large
particles
which
could foul or clog the more sensitive equipment used in later stages.
We use a Harmsco Hurricane filter for our sediment filtration and the
cartridges are rated at 10 microns (a micron is one-millionth of a meter, or
1/25,000th of an inch.) How small is that? Well, the human eye can only see
particles 20 microns in diameter or larger. Youd be very surprised at what
we see when we change these filters. We monitor the pressure drop across
the filter for purposes of determining when the filter is clogging. There have

been times when construction in the area has forced us to change out the filters as frequently as every
thirty minutes!

2. Ion Exchange
The next step in our purification process is the removal of various metallic elements through a process
known as ion exchange. Sometimes referred to as water softening, ion exchange utilizes a large tank
which is filled with a special, negatively-charged resin. The resin beads serve as bases or sites for the ion
exchange to actually take place.
As water passes through the ion
exchange resin, metallic ions,
which carry a strong positive
charge, displace the more weakly
charged sodium and potassium
ions. The metallic ions are thus
trapped
via
electromagnetic
attraction to the resin particles. The
ion exchange beds are then
automatically
cleansed
and
regenerated at prescribed intervals
based on water volume. The
regeneration process involves
flooding the bed with a super
saturated saline solution that effectively sweeps away the metallic ions from the resin sites.
Ion exchange provides highly effective removal of the metals responsible for pipe scaling and deposits.
The process also removes various heavy metals, such as lead, mercury, iron, and cadmium, which have
been associated with well-publicized health concerns.
From DrinkMore Waters perspective, it is important to remove metals early in the purification process to
protect the more sensitive technology used in later steps, since high levels of metals can damage this
equipment.
3. Activated Carbon Towers
Once the water passes through the ion exchange system, it moves into over-sized granular activated
carbon beds. Carbon filtration (also known as charcoal filtration), which utilizes a process known as
adsorption, is a particularly effective technique for chlorine removal. Pesticides, herbicides, and other
organic contaminants (especially volatile organics) are also removed at this stage.

Carbon also does an excellent job of removing trihalomethanes (THMs) from the water. THMs are a class
of chlorinated chemicals which result from the interaction of chlorine and decaying organic matter in the
public water supply. These chemicals are known carcinogens, and the high levels found in local water
supplies have been a cause for concern in recent years.Our Carbon Adsorption Towers are in series
meaning water has to pass through both towers before moving on to the next step. We routinely change
out all of the carbon in each of the tanks on an annual basis.
Many will recognize the term granular activated carbon as it is the most common technology used in
home filter systems, refrigerator filters and ice maker filters. The technology is designed primarily to
remove the chlorine taste found in tap water. Unfortunately, these home systems are often poorly
maintained and neglected. They will work for a while but then what happens next can be kinda scary. If
the filter isnt changed at the appropriate interval, the effectiveness of the chlorine removal will decrease
and, in some cases, the contaminants in an over-loaded filter actually begin to discharge back into the
water. Thats not good. And furthermore, there have been numerous instances of bacterial contamination
associated with poorly maintained home filter systems. Once the chlorine is gone theres the risk of
bacteriological growth downstream of the filter.
At DrinkMore Water, our carbon filters are routinely backwashed to prevent channeling and the carbon is
completely replaced every year. Maintenance and filter replacements are carried out by trained engineers
in accordance with a predetermined schedules.
4. Ultraviolet Light #1
Since the DrinkMore Water process removes all chlorine from the water, two forms ofchemical-free
disinfection technology are employed to ensure that the purified water remains absolutely and completely
free from any sort of microbiological contamination. Ultraviolet disinfection is the first of these
technologies.

At this step in the process, the

water passes through a special
chamber which houses a large
ultraviolet light source. This
ultraviolet light acts as a powerful
sterilizing agent. If any bacteria,
viruses, or other microbiological
contaminants are present in the
water, the ultraviolet light at this
particular wavelength destroys the
genetic material within these
organisms,
eliminating
the
possibility of bacterial or viral
reproduction and proliferation. The
organisms quickly die and are captured and removed during the prefiltering before the reverse osmosis
purification process.
Our process has extensive control technologies throughout. For example, over time the efficacy of the
ultraviolet lamp gradually deteriorates. We have a UV lamp monitoring device which measures the
intensity of the actual UV lamp. When the bulb is new (its changed every year), the monitor reads 100%
meaning thats the baseline. When the monitor declines to 95%, an alarm will sound indicating that the
bulb needs replacement.
5. One Micron Pre-Filter
Once through the ultraviolet light, our water then passes through another set of absolute filters these
being of the 1-Micron pore size meaning that nothing larger than 1 Micron will pass through. So, if
anything is killed by the ultraviolet light, it would be picked up by the absolute filters. A 1 Micron filter
is capable of removing viruses, bacteria, cryptosporidium and various other deleterious bugs.
6 (and 7). Two Passes of Reverse Osmosis
The picture below shows the centerpiece of our purification system reverse osmosis technology. This
unit cranks out about 60 gallons per minute of the purest, sweetest-tasting water on the planet earth. It
utilizes a 20 HP Pump that sounds like a jet engine. And please, take note of the clean-room in which it
sits. Yes, you could eat off the floor!

Reverse osmosis truly is the heart of the DrinkMore Water purification process. Many people have heard
about the process of osmosis. Osmosis is a naturally occurring process whereby water passes across a
membrane due to a pressure differential between one side of the membrane and the other.
As osmosis takes place, the concentration of dissolved material on each side of the membrane moves
closer to an equilibrium state. That is, the more
concentrated solution will tend to become more diluted,
and the more diluted solution will tend to become more
concentrated. Many people are familiar with osmosis as
the process by which living cells receive nutrients and
excrete wastes.
In reverse osmosis, high pressure is used to force water
across a membrane while impurities are left behind. In
other words, the high pressure causes the impurities to
become more concentrated on one side of the membrane.
Only the pure water is able to cross the membrane; even
the dissolved impurities which cannot be removed by
conventional filtration are captured and eliminated by
DrinkMore Waters reverse osmosis purification system.
The reverse osmosis system featured at DrinkMore Water
utilizes state-of-the-art technology for both purified water
production and quality control. Every drop of our purified
water must pass through approximately twenty layers of
reverse osmosis membranes thats how 99.5% of the
dissolved impurities actually get removed.

If even a slight variation in quality occurs, an alarm is triggered and the entire system shuts down
and youll appreciate this that alarm has never sounded in the 8 years weve been purifying and
bottling water in our new facility. The result is a purity level thats second to none. In fact, we encourage
you to compare our water with any other water-spring water, mineral water, or filtered water.
We recently purchased a second entire reverse osmosis unit for purposes of handling our
concentrate water. We run that water through a second RO unit and recover another 25% of the water
meaning that we now have a recovery close to 90% which is extremely efficient and just another of our
efforts to be as green as we can possibly be.
8. Ozonation
The most important part of our chemical-free disinfection is known as ozonation. Ozonation
relies on oxygen to ensure that our purified water remains free of any possible microbiological
contamination.
The ozonation process takes basic molecular oxygen (O2) and passes it through a special chamber
in which it is exposed to a high voltage electrical charge. (This type of ozone generation is called
cold-plasma discharge.) The electricity causes the oxygen molecule to split and recombine in a
higher-energy form known as ozone (O3). This ozone is then continuously circulated through the purified
water.
DrinkMore utilizes ozone at several steps in our process. We begin introducing ozone right at the
exit of our reverse osmosis unit. The purpose is to keep every single part of our system 100% sanitary
and bacteria free. We employ sanitizing technologies that very few companies could compete with. And
we employ MORE of that technology than practically any competitor.
9. More Ultraviolet Light
No, were not done yet. We have
yet another ultraviolet light that the
water must pass through before
reaching our stainless steel storage
tanks.
Same technology as described
above just another step in the
overall journey of the water
becoming DrinkMore Water.
10. More Ozonation
We spoke briefly about the benefits
of ozone sanitization. Ozone is a
very powerful disinfectant and is
capable of oxidizing a very broad
range of contaminants. In fact, ozone is highly effective against many types of impurities and organisms,
such as cryptosporidium, that are utterly impervious to chlorination. Just how powerful is ozone? First of
all, its about 1,500 times more effective than chlorine as an oxidant.
In real life, ozone is very effective at killing cryptosporidium. Tests have shown that at normal
concentration levels (1 part per million), ozone will destroy 99.99% of cryptosporidium oocysts given
five minutes of contact time. Chlorine, however, doesnt affect cryptosporidium oocyst viability at
concentrations of 30,000 parts per

million for a period of eighteen hours. The standard concentration of chlorine in tap water is around 3
parts per million-imagine what 30,000 parts per million would taste like!
Ozone is not a stable state for oxygen, and over the course of a few minutes it returns to its natural O2
state. This state-of-the-art disinfection system is simple, yet extremely powerful. And best of all, it relies
on nothing more than all-natural oxygen-absolutely no strange chemicals or additives.
So, where does all of this ozonation take place? In our finished product storage tanks.
11. Storage, Ozonation & Recirculation

After the water has passed through the preceding ten steps it moves into the storage and recirculation
phase. This storage and recirculation system has been designed so that DrinkMore Water will retain its
exceptionally high purity and will not come into contact with any materials or substances which could in
any way compromise the quality of the water. DrinkMore Water features a storage system made entirely
of stainless steel. Many people are unaware that brass, a key component of many plumbing systems, can
be a primary source of lead contamination. By using only stainless steel, this problem, and the problem of
potential interactions with other substances, is completely avoided.
Our storage tanks are stainless and our pumps are stainless. But DrinkMore Water does not simply sit in
storage after purification. Instead, the water continuously travels through a recirculation loop. During
recirculation, additional ozone is periodically added to maintain the completely sterile and bacteria-free
condition of the system. The entire
system is controlled by probably
the most sophisticated analyzer and
controller technology on the market
today.
These little babies are flow cells
which continually sample our

storage tanks on a 24/7 basis. Inside these flow cells are sensors which monitor and control different
variables like ozone concentration, PH, conductivity, etc. The sensors feed the data to our analyzer panel
where the data is displayed and recorded again on a 24-7 basis.
12. Bottling Process
When a bottle is filled at DrinkMore Water, the water is drawn directly from the continuous recirculation
loop and fed to our bottling system. Like the water storage system, our water dispensers utilize stainless
steel on all water contact surfaces. But our bottling process is so cool that we have a whole other section
dedicated to showing you just how that process works!! Make sure you check that out here.