There is a lot of confusion on the internet and social media about the main differences between alkaline water purification and reverse osmosis water purification. This may be due to the number of conflicting views on the water purification techniques and those that may not fully understand the key differences between the two different methods of water purification.
Our alkaline water is purified through a process called electrolysis, where water passes through a water ionizer machine to remove impurities, chemicals, and toxins from the water while simultaneously improving the water’s pH level making it alkaline. This method of water purification is far more effective as it ensures you are not consuming acidic water which may lead to health complications down the road.
One main benefit alkaline water has to offer is that the naturally occurring minerals within the water remain within the water once the water purification process is finished. This is not the case with reverse osmosis water purification because water needs to be pushed through a semipermeable membrane at a high pressure in order to purify the water. This results in a loss of minerals and nutrients the water contains.
What Is Reverse Osmosis Water Purification
Reverse osmosis water purification removes ions, particles, heavy metals, salts, and molecules from water. It achieves this by utilizing a hydraulic pressure system to push the water through a semipermeable membrane in order to separate the molecules and toxins from the water, meaning that an immense amount of electricity is usually required to power this form of water purification.
Many water bottling companies that you know of today use this method to purify their bottled water products which can lead to acidic water, nutrient poor water.
Alkaline Water vs Reverse Osmosis: 3 Main Differences
While alkaline water and reverse osmosis water purification have some similarities, it is important to note the differences between the two and the benefits they both have to offer. We will dive into the five key differences between alkaline water and water from reverse osmosis.
Purified Reverse Osmosis Removes Minerals
One of the major drawbacks and criticisms of reverse osmosis water purification is that reverse osmosis removes healthy, essential minerals from your drinking water. This is because the water purification process removes all contents out of the water rather than the unwanted ones. This is considered to be demineralized water which should not be consumed on a regular basis because it can lead to the possibility of diluting other concentrations of minerals and nutrients within your body thus, creating mineral deficiencies. There are capabilities to re-add the minerals lost within the water purification process but, it requires an additional step and oftentimes requires a separate water filtration machine to do so.
Alkaline water on the other hand, maintains the mineral and nutrient content within the water enhancing the water’s hydration capabilities. While the water goes through electrolysis, the antioxidant profile increases as well as the addition of new electrolytes since free radicals within the water are eliminated.
Reverse Osmosis Wastes a Lot of Water
Due to the nature of reverse osmosis, a lot of water ends up being wasted because there needs to be a large amount of pressure pushing against the filtration mesh. The water being pushed against the mesh will want to move in the opposite direction at the same intensity resulting in water loss. After the water has been purified, the water containing the contaminants and impurities needs to be removed since it cannot be used for consumption.
The amount of water wasted will differ from various reverse osmosis machines, however water retention rates can be as low as twenty percent. This means for every 100 liters of water you attempt to purify through reverse osmosis, 20 of the liters will be available for consumption while 80 of the liters will be wasted!
One major environmental crisis and concerns within our generation is water availability and its purification. An example of a modern day water crisis can be seen within the state of California where 90% of the state is severely impacted by a water drought leaving many with little to no water.
Reverse Osmosis Water Purification Can Make Water Acidic
When it comes to comparing the difference between alkaline water and reverse osmosis, reverse osmosis often forces it’s purified water into an acidic state. Removing minerals from the water lowers the pH and antioxidant potential which can potentially harm your health if consumed frequently. In order for reverse osmosis to gain its original mineral content and pH level, it must go through a water ionizer.
Alkaline water purifies water just as effectively while maintaining the water’s nutrient profile along with its pH level. Depending on what alkaline water ionizer you choose to buy, you will be able to determine the water’s pH level as well as the nutrients you wish to have.
The Best alkaline Water Purifier
Despite the contaminants that remain in our water, most water filters will remove a fraction of contaminants and impurities. The alkaline Water K8 Machine is considered the gold standard of water purification and alkalinity.
Most water purifiers you find attempt to remove impurities and improve the quality of the water through reverse osmosis and distillation. While they remove some impurities, the process will remove all minerals from the water that your body so desperately craves.
Those basic water purifiers and filters will alter the pH level of the water to become more acidic than neutral. This happens because during reverse osmosis or the distillation processes of filtering impurities from water, they remove healthy minerals such as magnesium and calcium which adds to the acidity in our bodies.
