HEALTHCARE AND LABORATORY WATER TREATMENT
Healthcare and laboratory facilities demand various water treatment solutions for a wide range of applications, including patient care, laundry, sterile processing services (SPS), hemodialysis, laboratory work and medical research. Ultrapure’s diverse product offering and full-service approach to maintenance make them an ideal partner for all healthcare institutions and laboratory facilities.
Healthcare Water Treatment Solutions
Reverse Osmosis
Deionization
Ultraviolet Purification
Water Filtration
Healthcare Water Treatment Applications
Boiler and Cooling Tower Pretreatment
Increasing the performance of boiler and cooling systems depends on the pretreatment of water. Chemical pretreatment, as well as methods such as softening and reverse osmosis, provide protection against deposition and scaling to improve asset reliability and efficiency of boiler systems.
If left untreated, scaling, corrosion and the presence of dissolved oxygen results in higher maintenance and equipment replacement costs, reduced runtime, unscheduled outages and lower product quality.
Water for Injection
Water for injection (WFI) is primarily used as a medium in the preparation of injection solutions and pharmaceuticals. Therefore, it requires the highest level of chemical purity and must be completely sterile.
The two methods for producing water for injection include distillation and reverse osmosis with ultrafiltration.
Type I, II and III Water
Different levels of water purity are required for a vast range of applications. Therefore different grades of water (Type I, II and III) must be utilized to match the required procedures. These grades are determined by ASTM International (American Society for Testing and Materials) and depend on certain characteristics of the water, including resistivity and conductivity.
Type I
Type I is considered ultrapure water. The most common applications for this grade include high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), gas chromatography, immunocytochemistry, cell culturing and tissue culturing.
Type II
In short, Type II water is more pure than Type III water but not ultrapure like Type I. Type II water is most typically used as feed to instruments, clinical analyzers and Type I systems. Additional applications include electrochemistry, sample dilution, media preparation and radioimmunoassay.
Type III
Less pure than Types I and II, Type III water removes between 90 and 99 percent of contaminants. Produced using reverse osmosis, it is the starting point for many laboratory applications, such as washing machines, dishwashers and autoclaves.
Sterile Processing Services (SPS)
Sterile processing services depend on high-quality water for rinsing, disinfecting and sterilizing surgical instruments, as well as medical devices. Using ultrapure water for this process extends the life of equipment, limits staining of surgical instruments, reduces contamination and lowers hospital costs by increasing the efficiency of detergents.
Laundry
In healthcare facilities, laundry includes bed sheets, blankets, towels, personal clothing, patient gowns, uniforms, scrub suits and drapes for surgical procedures. With poor water quality, laundry may become scratchy and uncomfortable. Hard water additionally requires increased usage of chemicals, soaps, energy and water.
Water softening reduces hardness and helps to save on both energy and detergent. It also limits scale buildup, extending the life of facility equipment.
Drinking Water and
Food Service
Patients, visitors and employees count on hospitals and healthcare facilities to provide high-quality water for drinking or use in food service. Reverse osmosis water results in better-tasting beverages, ice and meals, which ultimately creates a more positive patient experience.
Laboratory Work and
Medical Research
Laboratories require ultrapure water to reduce the risk of variability and prevent tests from being contaminated by impurities in source water. As the most common reagent used in lab settings, water with even the smallest traces of contaminants can result in negative consequences.
Ultrapure’s deionization, reverse osmosis, ultraviolet disinfection and submicron filtration systems maximize laboratory efficiency and ensure accurate test results.
Get in Touch With an Ultrapure Expert
If you’re looking to increase your ROI, protect critical equipment or meet strict industry and safety standards, contact one of Ultrapure's experienced engineers to learn how a full-service approach to water treatment can benefit your business.
