Distilled Water: Is It Worth the Hype?
What is distilled water? How is it different from tap and bottled water? Unlike everyday fresh water, distilled water is steam captured from boiling water that’s been cooled and recondensed into liquid. This process is known as distillation. It helps remove potential impurities from the water, such as pesticides, bacteria, and other pollutants. At the same time, it also reduces the amount of salts and minerals in the water.
Why Distilled Water?
Distilled water is one of the purest types of water. It’s beneficial for drinking and used in various industries, including medical and laboratory work, where zero contamination is crucial. It’s used in batteries and other industrial settings where distilled water helps prevent mineral accumulation and corrosion. Distilled water is also ideal for steam irons and cleaners for the same reason. Other home uses include adding it to infant formula, as a hair or nasal rinse, and cleaning wounds and piercings.
While tap water has been filtered to remove sediments and disinfected with chlorine, purified water is cleaned using reverse osmosis, ozonization, or distillation. Why use distilled water for drinking and cooking?
The Benefits of Distilled Water
Beyond its use as an uncontaminated and non-corrosive water, drinking distilled water supplies potential advantages, including:
- Acid neutralization: Some believe the lack of minerals in distilled water helps neutralize the acid in the body, which helps avoid acid-related conditions.
- Reduced kidney stone risk: The lack of minerals dissolved in distilled water may help prevent the formation of kidney stones.
- Enhanced hydration: Being free from impurities and the reduced mineral content may improve hydration, although this remains debatable. However, as the minerals that give water its taste, such as sodium, calcium, and magnesium, are missing, distilled water is “flat” and can taste bland. It’s also less thirst-quenching than mineralized water.
At the same time, the lack of minerals and electrolytes such as potassium means consumers who drink distilled water must ensure they get their minerals from other sources. Drinking water low in minerals may lead to weakness, muscle cramps, or even heart disease.
How Does the Purification Process Work?
The multi-stage distillation process involves the following:
- Heating: Water is heated to its boiling point (100°C (212°F) at sea level) in a distillation unit, usually a boiling chamber and condenser.
- Boiling: As the water heats, it vaporizes, becoming steam. As the steam rises, it moves from the boiling chamber into the condenser.
- Cooling: Inside the condenser, a cooling coil cools the steam back into a liquid, leaving minerals, salts, and impurities behind in the boiling chamber.
- Filtration: Some units also filter the condensed water, usually through activated carbon, to ensure all the contaminants are removed.
- Collection: The condensed liquid – purified water – is typically collected in a glass container or made from another safe material for storing potable water.
- Storage: The distilled, purified water – uncontaminated hydrogen and oxygen – is then stored and ready to use. Well-sealed, unopened packs of distilled water stored out of the sun can last forever.
Distilled water does deserve much of its hype. It’s vital in the purity of beverage, food, toiletries, and cosmetics manufacture and formulation. The global market is predicted to grow from $87,730,000 USD in 2023 to $123,154,000 USD by 20311. So, keep your products pure and labels clean with steam distillation, purified water, and 100% natural flavor and odor ingredients from Advanced Biotech.
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1 https://www.databridgemarketresearch.com/reports/global-distilled-water-market