Silica/Sodium

Sodium is a common element in the natural environment and is often found in food and drinking water. In drinking water, sodium can occur naturally or be the result of road salt application, water treatment chemicals or ion-exchange water-softening units. Sodium levels may also vary in bottled water and carbonated water, depending on the brand.

The human body needs sodium in order to maintain blood pressure, control fluid levels and for normal nerve and muscle function. Sodium in drinking water is not a health concern for most people but may be for someone with specific health issues that require them to be on a sodium-restricted diet.

Sodium (salt) cannot be easily removed from drinking water and cannot be removed through boiling or conventional filtration. Reverse osmosis, ion exchange or distillation systems can reduce sodium levels.

Silica, also known as silicon dioxide (SiO2) or mineral quartz, is a derivative compound of the chemical element silicon (Si). This very common mineral has many different forms and is most easily recognized in nature as the mineral quartz and the second most abundant element in the Earth’s crust, after oxygen.

Though the solubility of silica in water is low and slow, its sheer abundance means that is present in ground water supplies. Silica exist in water in two main forms one “Reactive Silica”. which is dissolved in water as the bisilicate ion making it weak acid and the other form is known as “Colloidal Silica” a polymeric form of silica where the particles are ultra-fine.

• Scaling: When silica is present in water, it can cause scaling on heat exchangers, boilers, and other process equipment. Scaling is the build-up of mineral deposits on the surfaces of process equipment.
• Corrosion: Silica can also cause corrosion in process equipment.
• Fouling: Silica can foul membranes and other process equipment, which can lead to a decrease in efficiency and an increase in operating costs.

Lime-soda softening is one way to reduce silica in your water. This process uses CaOH and Soda Ash to raise the pH to extreme levels, causing precipitation of CaCO3 and MgOH. Silica binds to the MgOH and settles out. Anion exchange can also be used for reactive silica. This ion-exchange method can be used to remove reactive silica.