WATER QUALITY

The tables below summarize the results of the chemical and microbiological analysis conducted to evaluate the quality of the product water generated by WH2Osystems’s Forward Osmosis Recycling System (FORS) in comparison to potable water standards.  As shown below, the effluent meets all potable standards, although it can be legally used only for non-potable applications.  The system is also compliant with NSF/ANSI 350.

A more recent water quality analysis has been conducted by Stanford University in 2019 on behalf of a Silicon Valley high-tech giant to validate FORS with different sources of greywater and blackwater generated by a variety of commercial and residential buildings.  In all cases, the product water met and exceeded all legal reuse standards.  The results of these test are available upon request and will be soon published on a scientific journal.

 

Potable water standards are based on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guidelines and the National Primary Drinking Water Regulations (NPDWR).  These standards are applicable to water purification systems that have been operating for more than 30 days.  The effluent of the system has been periodically collected and tested using the following analytical methods:

  • EPA method 624, organic chemical analysis by gas chromatography/mass spectrometer (GC/MS).
  • EPA method 625, base/neutrals and acids (semivolatile organic compounds and polychlorinated biphenyls) by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS)
  • EPA method 8321B, solvent-extractable nonvolatile compounds by high-performance liquid chromatography/thermospray/mass spectrometry (HPLC/TS/MS) or ultraviolet (UV) detection.
  • EPA method 608, organochlorine pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls by gas chromatography.
  • EPA method 300.0, inorganic anions by ion chromatography.
  • EPA method 300.1, determination of inorganic anions in drinking water by ion chromatography.
  • EPA method 200.7, metals and trace elements in water and wastes by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry.
  • EPA method 552.2, determination of haloacetic acids and dalapon in drinking water by liquid-liquid extraction, derivatization and gas chromatography with electron capture detection.
  • Standard method 4500 CN-C, cyanides amenable to chlorination after distillation by spectroscopy (colorimetry; photometry)
  • EPA method 420.1, phenols by spectrophotometry.
  • EPA method 900.0, measurement of gross alpha and gross beta.
  • EPA method 200.8, determination of trace elements by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS).
  • EPA method 906.0, tritium analysis by liquid scintillation counting.

 

Chemio-pshysical Properties Standards (mg/L) Results (mg/L)
Turbidity 1NTU 0.18  NTU
Odor Acceptable Acceptable
Color 15 CU -
pH 6.5-8.5 7.2
TDS 500 104
Inorganic compounds Standards (mg/L) Analysis method (mg/L) Method detection limit (mg/L) Practical quantitation limit (mg/L) Results (mg/L)
Antimony 0.006 E200.7 0.004 0.01 ND
Arsenic 0.01 E200.7 0.005 0.01 ND
Asbestos 7 MFL E600/R-94/134 - - ND
Barium 2 E200.7 0.002 0.01 ND
Beryllium 0.004 E200.7 0.002 0.005 ND
Cadmium 0.005 E200.7 0.001 0.005 ND
Chromium 0.1 E200.7 0.002 0.005 ND
Copper 1 E200.7 0.003 0.01 ND
Cyanide 0.2 A4500CE 0.01 0.03 ND
Fluoride 4 E300.0 0.04 0.5 ND
Iron 0.3 E200.7 0.002 0.3 ND
Lead 0.015 E200.7 0.005 0.015 ND
Manganese 0.05 E200.7 0.003 0.05 ND
Mercury 0.05 E245.1 0.00005 0.0002 ND
Nitrate 10 E300.0 0.077 0.5 ND
Nitrite 1 E300.0 0.095 0.5 ND
Selenium 0.05 E200.7 0.004 0.02 ND
Silver 0.1 E200.7 0.002 0.005 ND
Sulfate 250 E300.0 0.089 1 ND
Thallium 0.002 E200.7 0.004 0.01 ND
Zinc 5 E200.7 0.002 0.01 0.012
Organic compounds Standards (mg/L) Analysis method (mg/L) Method detection limit (mg/L) Practical quantitation limit (mg/L) Results (mg/L)
1,1,1-Trichloroethane 0.2 E624 0.1 0.5 ND
1,1,2-Trichloroethane 0.005 E624 0.14 0.5 ND
1,1-Dichloroethylene 0.007 E624 0.16 0.5 ND
1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene 0.07 E625 0.95 4 ND
1,2-Dibromo-3-chloropropane 0.0002 E608 40.3 118 ND
1,2-Dichloroethane 0.005 E624 0.12 0.5 ND
1,2-Dichloropropane 0.005 E624 0.12 0.5 ND
2,4-D 0.07 E8151A - - ND
Benzene 0.005 E624 0.1 0.5 ND
Benzo(a)pyrene 0.0002 E625 0.25 3.6 ND
Carbon tetrachloride 0.005 E624 0.07 0.5 ND
Chlordane 0.002 E608 0.13 0.25 ND
Chlorobenzene 0.1 E624 0.11 0.5 ND
Cis-1,2-Dichloroethylene 0.07 E624 0.13 0.5 ND
Di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate 0.006 E625 0.31 12 ND
Dichloromethane 0.005 E624 0.27 1 ND
Dinoseb 0.007 E8151A - - ND
Endrin 0.002 E608 0.004 0.02 ND
Ethylbenzene 0.7 E624 0.11 0.5 ND
Ethylene dibromide 0.00005 E624 0.28 4.2 ND
Heptachlor 0.0004 E608 0.004 0.02 ND
Heptachlor hepoxide 0.0002 E608 0.005 0.02 ND
Hexachlorobenzene 0.001 E625 0.65 4 ND
Hexachlorocyclopentadiene 0.05 E625 0.36 20 ND
Methoxychlor 0.04 E608 0.004 0.05 ND
o-Dichlorobenzene 0.6 E624 0.16 4.2 ND
p-Dichlorobenzene 0.075 E625 1.3 0.4 ND
Pentachlorophenol 0.001 E625 0.25 4 ND
Picloram 0.5 E625 2 4 ND
Polychlorinated biphenyls 0.0005 E608 0.035 1 ND
Tetrachloroethylene 0.005 E624 0.11 0.5 ND
Toluene 1 E624 0.1 0.5 0.0039
Toxaphene 0.003 E608 0.31 1 ND
Trans-1,2-Dichloroethylene 0.1 E624 0.15 0.5 ND
Trichloroethylene 0.005 E624 0.08 0.5 ND
Vinyl chloride 0.002 E624 0.16 0.5 ND
Xylenes 10 E624 0.11 0.5 ND
Radiological testing Standards  Analysis method  Results 
Gross alpha particle activity (excluding radon and uranium) 15 pCi/L E900.0 ND
Gross beta particle and photon emitter activity 4 mrem/yr E900.0 ND
Tritium 0.27 uCi/L E906.0 ND
Combined Ra-226 and Ra-228 activity 5 pCi/L A7500-RA ND
Uranium 30 ug/L E200.8 ND
Disinfectants Standards (mg/L) Analysis method (mg/L) Method detection limit (mg/L) Practical quantitation limit (mg/L) Results (mg/L)
Chloramines 4 A4500CL 0.1 0.1 ND
Chlorine 4 A4500CL 0.1 0.1 1.3
Chlorine dioxide 0.8 A4500CL 0.1 0.1 ND
Disinfection byproducts Standards (mg/L) Analysis method (mg/L) Method detection limit (mg/L) Practical quantitation limit (mg/L) Results (mg/L)
Bromate 0.01 E300.1 420 1000 ND
Chlorite 1 E300.1 0.1 0.1 ND
Total trihalomethanes 0.08 E624 0.14 0.5 ND
Microbiological testing Standards (mg/L) Analysis method (mg/L) Method detection limit (CFU/ 100ml) Results (mg/L)
E.coli 0 (P/A) Colilert 1 Absence
Total coliforms 0 (P/A) Colilert 1 Absence
Other compounds not listed in EPA and NPDWR standards Average values of product water, mg/L
TOC (total organic carbon) 1.4
Na (sodium) 26.75
NH4 (ammonium) 2.9
K (potassium) LDL
Ca (calcium) 0.9
Cl (chloride) 39.4
NO2 (nitrite) LDL
Br (bromide) LDL
NO3 (nitrate) LDL
PO4 (phosphate) LDL
SO4 (sulfate) LDL
Mg (magnesium) LDL

ND: not detected; LDL: lower than detection limit.