Disinfectants Copper-silver ionization
Metals such as copper and silver can be used for water disinfection, if they are ionized.
When was the disinfection mechanism of copper and silver discovered?
    Archeological excavations show, that people have been using copper for more than 11.000 years and have been using silver for more than 5000 years. Copper can be easily extracted and processed. More than 7000 years ago people developed a copper extraction mechanism for copper ores. The Roman empire gained most of its copper from Cyprus, the isle that gave copper its name.
    Nowadays copper is mainly extracted form ores, such as cuprite (CuO2), tenorite (CuO), malachite (CuO3·Cu(OH)2), chalcocite (Cu2S), covelite (CuS) and bornite (Cu6FeS4). Large deposits of copper ores have been found throughout the US, Chili, Zambia, Zaïre, peru and Canada.
Silver can be obtained from pure deposits, from silver ores such as argenite (Ag2S) and horn silver (AgCl) and combined with ore deposites that contain lead, gold or copper.
    Both copper and silver have been applied for centuries because of their biocidal mechanism. The Vickings used copper strings on their ships to prevent the growth of algae and shells. Modern ships still use the same technology.
Most anti-fouling paints contain copper, reducing the number of marine species growing on the walls of ships. Because of this measure, ships can reach their destination faster.
    Nomads used silver coins to improve drinking water quality. Well water containing copper and silver coins is very bright, due to the biocidal affect of these metals.
Since 1869 various publications have appeared on disinfection properties of silver. Some European and Russian villages have been using silver for drinking water treatment for many years. Copper-silver ionization was developed in both Europe and the United States in the 1950’s.

    How are copper-silver ions produced?
Copper-silver ionization is brought about by electrolysis. An electric current is created through copper-silver, causing positively charged copper and silver ions to form.
Copper-silver ionization brings us back to basic chemistry: an ion; an electrically charged atom, has a positive charge when it gives up an electron and a negative charge when it takes up an electron. A positively charged ion is called a kation and a negatively charged ion is called an anion. During ionization, atoms turn into kations or anions. When copper-silver ionization is applied, positively charged copper (Cu+ and Cu2+) and silver (Ag+) ions are formed.

The electrodes are placed close together. The water that is disinfected flows past the electrodes. An electric current is created, causing the outer atoms of the electrodes to lose an electron and become positively charged. The larger part of the ions flows away through the water, before reaching the opposite electrode. Generally the amount of silver ions at a copper ion rate of 0,15 to 0,40 ppm lies between 5 and 50 ppb.
The ion concentration is determined by the water flow. The number of ions that is released increases, when electric charges are higher. When copper ions (Cu+) dissolve in water, they are oxidized immediately to form Cu2+ ions. Copper can be found in the water in free form. It is commonly bond to water particles. Copper (Cu+) ions are unstable in water, unless a stabilizing ligand is present.

    What are the applications of copper-silver ionization?
Copper-silver ionization is suitable for a large number of applications. It became of interest when NASA used copper-silver ionization for drinking water prodcution aboard Apollo space ships in 1960. The ion generator that was used, was the size of a matchbox. Because of copper-silver ionization, drinking water could be produced safely in space without the use of chlorine.
        IS IT ANY WONDER THEN, THAT WE WOULD TAKE THESE 7000 YEAR
        OLD TECHNOLOGIES AND MAKE A NEW MOUSTRAP?

What are the Solutions?

The incoming water condition and amount of evaporation are defining factors in the amount of particulate concentration which occurs in cooling towers. A reading of 30ppm (parts per million) of chlorides is common in many commercial areas, and that reading will rise and fall as the environment changes so readings are taken continuously to determine the ppm level and to control the ion levels required to maintain a system free of algae, bacteria, virus, corrosion and scale. When treating a cooling tower. we must treat the entire water circulation system, including the pump, piping and fittings, and the chiller condenser.

CHECK OUT: The Features

In water treatment terminology, one often encounters the term "cycles of concentration". This refers to the number of times the dissolved solids in the circulating water have increased as a result of evaporation. For example, if the make-up water has 100 parts per million (ppm) of Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), and the condenser water contains 300ppm, 3 cycles of concentration has been reached. As each cycle of concentration takes place, a large amount of water is lost because cooling towers utilize an open-air evaporation process to cool the water. After an average of 3 to 6 cycles, evaporation has caused considerable water loss and the minerals and bacteria are still in the tower. There is nothing present to prevent these bodies from attaching to the metal surfaces and hardening as scale. In the chemical treatment program, very large amounts of water are purged out of the tank to carry the impurities away. This is only partly successful and causes massive waste of water which is then directed to a utility drain, where the mix of water and chemicals and solids are dumped to re-enter the environment. Since in a sense we all live downhill from our water source, this is not a sustainable means to address the problem. ChemFreePro utilizes a conductivity sensor, which monitors the electrical state of the water and sends a signal to a bleed off valve to purge a specific amount of water, known as the "blowdown". At the same time the system refills itself with fresh water, known as “make-up water”. By its technology, ChemFreePro is able to hold much higher TDS in the water without scaling. This is controlled and does not clog up the tube bundle in the condenser or the tower itself. After installation of the ChemFreePro System, which also kills the algae, bacteria, and viruses, both the existing chemical injection system and blowdown process just described will be totally eliminated. This will create an annual savings in water and chemical treatment, and will eliminate the cost of brushing the tube bundles and acid treating the tower, condensor, and piping each year. During the initial ionization and oxidation period, the particulate levels in the water will buildup at a fast rate due to the removal of existing scale and biofilm throughout the system and equipment. The only effect of this buildup will be to activate the automatic backwash cycle more frequently. After a few short weeks, the frequency will normalize and the system will remain clear of algae, bacteria, viruses and scale.