Experimental study of tap water activated by commercial fruit and vegetable purifier

Abstract

Green and clean diets are on focus for consumers with healthy and safety concerns. Good sources of safe and clean vegetables and fruits are vital. Vegetables and fruits are often found on market shelves below the standard of good agricultural practices. Pesticides and other chemical residues are found in those fruits and vegetables which may connect to many late complication issues in health. Various methods are utilized as common wisdom to fight the problem. Some methods are more practical and handier. This contribution has studied the properties of tap water after activation by a commercial fruit and vegetable purifier. Chlorine, which is present in tap water, is bound with hydroxyl radical from electrohydrolysis by an apparatus to form hypochlorous acid. The activated water peaks at 291 nm in its absorbance with a UV-Vis spectrophotometer. Properties of water were studied under various experimental settings such as comparing with activation of de-ionized water, as a function of (i) operating time, (ii) storing time of input tap water, (iii) storage time of activated water, and (iv) water volume. The concentration of hypochlorous acid is calibrated against commercial ready-to-use acid.