Copper ionization is often used to help keep swimming pools clean without needing to use chemicals like chlorine. However, it also has industrial applications in the agricultural industry and for water supplies, such as those for hospitals.
What Is Copper Ionization?
Copper ionization is the process of adding ceramic electrodes with a copper coating into a water system. As electric currents pass through the electrodes, copper and silver ions are released. The copper and silver ions are positively charged and they attract negatively charged particles, such as organic matter like algae, mold, bacteria, silt and clay.
This process was developed by NASA to purify drinking water in space for astronauts. It is still used to purify water in large buildings like hospitals, water towers and for agricultural uses. Most of these systems release more copper than silver ions. About 10 percent of the released ions are silver, but some manufacturers have systems you can upgrade to release as much as 25 percent silver ions.
Agricultural Uses
Copper is an important element in the agricultural industry. It is an essential plant nutrient that is required in relatively low amounts. Copper sulfate is often used as a bactericide on plants by itself or along with other pesticides to help protect crops from insects.
A copper ionization system can help keep grow foods organically because when used, the ionization process can help eliminate the need for other chemicals because it helps to kill pathogens such as bacteria and algae. These ionization systems are often used in nursery production in order to treat water and keep the filters free from algae build-up.
They also use the treated water to wash freshly picked fruits and vegetables to help keep them free from bacteria. The treated water is often used in vineyards, orchards and on poultry farms to help clean the harvested fruits and freshly killed poultry.
Hospital Uses
Aside from treating drinking water, copper-silver ionization systems are used in hospitals to help disinfect water systems and keep pathogens under control. A German hospital that used a copper-silver ionization system found that it helped to control the bacteria Legionella, which can cause Legionnaires’ Disease. This disease often has a high fatality rate.
The bacteria were found lingering in the hot water system and thus they began using the copper-silver ionization process to treat the system. By increasing the amount of silver ions, they found that they were able to control the bacteria and keep the disease from spreading.
Water ionization systems are more environmentally friendly than using chemicals to control bacteria, algae and other organic matter for industrial applications. These systems can keep diseases from spreading and the water is safe for human consumption when used for washing food or drinking.