Everyone knows that water sources are contaminated with human, plant, animal, and industrial waste. As a result, the TDS levels in water sources are high.
The same applies to groundwater. Since the TDS is consistently higher than WHO and BIS recommended levels, water purification is essential for human consumption.
RO purification is ideally recommended if TDS levels are higher than 400 ppm.
While RO purification removes TDS, it has its demerits. The RO membrane does not allow any contaminant with a molecular weight greater than 20 to pass through. Therefore, essential minerals like calcium, magnesium, and manganese do not pass through the membrane. These are the minerals that provide taste to drinking water.
As a result, the RO-purified water is bland and tasteless. So manufacturers devise different ways to enhance the water’s taste. For example, Livpure uses a technology known as Taste Enhancer that replenishes the lost minerals in RO-purified water.
This technology requires the RO-purified water to pass through a mineral-infused cartridge, allowing the absorption of the correct quantity of minerals. Thus, it increases the pH value of water to make it slightly alkaline. Besides enhancing the water’s taste, these minerals are essential for our overall health.
Some companies name this technology Mineralizer. Though the names are different, the procedure is the same. However, Kent uses a different technology known as a TDS controller. We have explained the difference between TDS and Mineralizer in a different blog.
What changes the taste of water in a water purifier?
The source water’s taste depends on the contaminants it contains. Pure water does not have any taste. But water sources like rivers, lakes, and groundwater are not 100% pure. They have impurities like human and industrial waste.
Besides, water has natural minerals like calcium, magnesium, manganese, and others. But, river water and groundwater are not healthy for direct consumption. Therefore, they require treatment to remove the contaminants and make them fit for human consumption.
While multiple water purification methods are available, Reverse Osmosis (RO) is the most popular because it removes TDS from source water. In addition, RO purification is necessary for removing heavy impurities like arsenic, antimony, lead, and others.
Other methods include Ultraviolet and Ultrafiltration procedures. Activated carbon helps remove organic impurities and eliminate foul odor.
If the TDS levels are low, municipalities treat source water with alternate water purification methods, such as chlorination. In addition, some municipalities have RO water purification plants to remove TDS before supplying to consumers. But RO water purification removes essential minerals along with heavy metal impurities. All these purification procedures change the water’s taste.
RO-purified water does not have any taste. So water purifier manufacturers introduce technologies like TDS enhancers, mineralizers, TDS controllers, and others to improve the water’s taste.