What Are Nitrates?
Nitrates are inorganic chemical compounds containing the nitrate ion (NO3). You will find plenty of nitrates in soil, water, and plants. They are produced in the soil by bacteria converting nitrogen from the air into a form that can be used by plants. They are necessary for plant growth and are found in all fruits, vegetables, and grains. You get nitrates from vegetables, meat, and drinking water.
How Much Nitrate is Safe For Human Consumption?
EPA has shared that drinking water should not contain more than 10 mg/L or 10 parts per million (ppm) of nitrate. Water with less than 10 mg/L of nitrate is regarded as “safe to drink”. Drinking water with higher levels of nitrates could cause serious health complications in kids and adults alike.
Health Risks Associated with Nitrates
Although nitrates are an essential element for human health, they can be harmful at high levels. Nitrates get converted into nitrites in the body, and nitrites can react with certain compounds to produce nitrosamines. These nitrosamines are carcinogenic (cancer-inducing) in nature.
People who consume large amounts of processed meats like bacon, sausage, and ham are more susceptible to nitrate-induced cancer. Processed meats have high levels of nitrates, which are added to increase the meat’s shelf life and yield a pink color. Unfiltered water (typically well water from untreated and unregulated wells) can also have unnecessary nitrates, which can be detrimental to human health.
Excessive nitrates can also lead to methemoglobinemia, also known as blue baby syndrome. With this condition, the blood’s oxygen-carrying capacity is compromised. Infants less than six months old are an especially vulnerable population. Infants fed formula prepared with water high in nitrate are the most highly exposed population. They receive the highest dose of nitrate compared to all other age groups based on body weight. Additionally, infants have different body chemistry than adults. They convert more nitrate to nitrite, which leads to the creation of methemoglobin, and their bodies are less able to metabolize methemoglobin back into hemoglobin. This causes methemoglobin to build up in the body of an infant faster than it builds up in the body of an adult.
Nitrates are also known to increase blood pressure in some people. They can also cause asthma, headaches, and birth defects.
How Do Nitrates Enter the Water Supply?
Agricultural run-off, industrial waste, fertilizers and herbicides, leaking septic tanks, and burst sewage systems are the main sources of nitrates in well water. Naturally occurring bacteria metabolize nitrogen present in the soil into nitrate deposits in the Earth. Additionally, rainwater brings manure from farmlands into streams and lakes.
Nitrates also enter water supplies through animal waste. They embed into the soil through crop irrigation and as precipitation percolates down through the Earth - nitrates get into aquifers. With the erosion of natural nitrate deposits, underground water systems are contaminated with increased nitrate concentrations.
Nitrates Removal Techniques
In order to prevent all the health risks associated with excessive nitrates, they must be removed from water or reduced to a safe level (10mg/L). Nitrate reduction is typically accomplished by:
- Reverse Osmosis
- Distillation
- Ion Exchange Resin
Nitrates are somewhat tough to eliminate from water. They cannot be removed through sediment filters, carbon filters, or by the hollow fiber membrane of an ultrafiltration system. Moreover, a traditional ion exchange water softener does not remove nitrates.
1. Reverse Osmosis
Reverse osmosis eliminates contaminants by forcing pressurized water through a semipermeable membrane covered in microscopic pores. These pores serve as a sieve that separates the pure hydrogen and oxygen from the impure water. The membrane rating is so fine that it can remove ions like nitrates too up to around 80% with water pressure >50psi. The clean water passes through the membrane and accumulates in the storage tank. Most to virtually all contaminants are rejected by the membrane and flushed down the drain.
Depending on the membrane type, available water pressure, temperature, and overall contaminant load - reverse osmosis helps reduce more than 99% of waterborne contaminants, making it one of the most effective methods of residential water filtration. Reverse osmosis nitrate removal eliminates around 83-92% of nitrates. It involves complex stages of pre-filtration and storage tanks. At times, it also comes with a pressure booster pump to enhance the feed line pressure.
Home Master RO systems have the NSF certified components and Dow Filmtec brand reverse osmosis membrane that work concomitantly to eliminate dissolved solids such as heavy metals, nitrates, lead, and fluoride; sediment, turbidity, and rust; and chemical contaminants like chlorine, chloramines, pesticides, herbicides, and gasoline additives. You also get additional purification with iron and UV filters, and the permeate pump upgrade. Additionally, Home Master RO systems can be custom-ordered with the addition of a nitrate-specific filter, to increase removal rates.
These systems use high-grade catalytic carbon filters for well water that can produce 3900 gallons of purified water, with carbon filters built from catalytic carbon and with filtration down to 5 microns. Compression disks in the Home Master’s advanced inline filters curb channeling and dumping by allowing a remarkable 8 inches of carbon contact for unmatchable purification. An additional nitrate-specific media filter can be added to any Home Master(R) system at the factory.
2. Distillation
Water distillation is the process of removing waterborne contaminants by replicating the natural filtration process — the hydrologic cycle. In this cycle, water evaporates from surface waters like oceans, lakes, and reservoirs. Any impurities in the water droplet are left behind as the water converts to vapor. Consequently, it eliminates sediments, salts, bacteria, and nitrates. Certain chemicals such as VOCs and chlorine will stay with the water through the conversion process, If present. For this reason, a good carbon filter should be used with a home water distiller.
Back to nature - next, the gas condenses in the atmosphere and returns to earth in a liquid state through rain or snow, a process known as precipitation.
In water distillation, water is added into a chamber with a heating element. It boils the water converting it to steam. As the water transforms from liquid to gas, virtually all the contaminants remain and collect in the boiling chamber. Then, the steam passes through a cooling coil where it returns to liquid water. Subsequently, the water is collected in a glass or plastic jug. The Better quality distillers will have a carbon filter to remove contaminants that convert into gas or volatile organic compounds (VOCs). After the distillation process, the water has 0% nitrates.
One problem with water distillation is that it can be expensive and slow at water purification. Water is distilled drop by drop. Many home water distillers take 4-6 hours to distill a single gallon of water. It also consumes a lot of energy for water purification. Although water distillers don’t waste water, they consume electricity.
3. Ion Exchange
Passing the water through an ion exchange process is an effective way to remove nitrates from it. Traditional water softeners use the same ion exchange process but employ hardness-specific resins to remove the hardness minerals. In water softeners, a brine solution regenerates resin beads with sodium (or potassium) ions. As the hard water flows through the resin bed, the calcium and magnesium ions are exchanged with sodium ions. So, soft water exits the tank.
The same principle is involved in nitrate removal by ion exchange. These water treatment systems use chloride ions rather than sodium. As the contaminated water makes way into the tank or cartridge, the resin beads will accumulate the nitrate ions and exchange the harmless chloride ions into the water in their place. This is called anion exchange as both chloride and nitrate are negatively charged.
These nitrate-specific ion exchange systems carry a rated gallon capacity lifespan. They process a specific volume of water divided by the nitrate level before using up all the chloride ions. If the water has a high concentration of nitrates, the media will be used faster. Install nitrate-selective ion exchange systems with resin regeneration tanks filled at the point of entry to the home, just like a water softener.
Note:
Make sure that your water does not contain excessive amounts of sulfates, which interfere with the ion exchange process, preventing nitrate removal.
Choosing the Right Water Filter
The first step to choosing the right water filter is testing it for different water contaminants. You can test the levels of 75 water contaminants by running comprehensive water tests in certified laboratories. It will give you an in-depth evaluation of your water quality. owners of a private well should perform a basic water test annually or after major weather events and earth changes, and a Full Laboratory analysis every 5 years.
Nitrates are odorless, colorless, and tasteless. So, testing is the only way to detect them. The Home Master Full Laboratory water sampling kit tests your water for 104 harmful contaminants, including nitrates, fluorides, arsenic, lead, chloroform, benzene, pesticides, herbicides, and PCBs. You will get test results mailed within a week to 10 days after the date on which the laboratory receives the samples.
Once you get the results, consider the following factors before picking the water filter.
1. Contaminants
Check the type of contaminants and TDS level in your water. Look at the proportion of nitrates in the water. It will help you determine the type of filter that will remove nitrates and other contaminants more effectively.
2. Type of Filter
There are three main types of water filtration systems that can help with nitrates removal from drinking water — reverse osmosis, distillation, and ion exchange systems. RO filters are highly effective at removing nitrates. However, there is some water waste involved with this method.
3. Certification
Always look for water filters certified by reputable organizations like the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF). It will help ensure the filter is tested and aligns with performance and safety standards.
4. Capacity
Take into consideration the filter’s capacity. Your filter must have a capacity that is enough to cater to your needs.
5. Cost
Water filters come in different price ranges. Go for the nitrate water filter that falls in your budget and is the most cost-effective
Conclusion
Ingesting excessive nitrates through water can have deleterious effects on human health. Therefore, it is imperative to remove these contaminants and maintain a healthy lifestyle.
If you need help with getting a practical solution and cost-effective water filter for nitrate removal, just reach out to us or navigate to our FAQs.