The water softener - A relevant, unifying example of many common chemical principles and calculations

1985 ◽  
Vol 62 (6) ◽  
pp. 529 ◽  
Author(s):  
John E. Fulkrod
Keyword(s):  
Water Softener

scholarly journals Protocol for an outcome assessor-blinded pilot randomised controlled trial of an ion-exchange water softener for the prevention of atopic eczema in neonates, with an embedded mechanistic study: the Softened Water for Eczema Prevention (SOFTER) trial

BMJ Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. e027168 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zarif K Jabbar-Lopez ◽  
Nikeeta Gurung ◽  
Danielle Greenblatt ◽  
Annette Briley ◽  
Joanne R Chalmers ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Family History ◽  
Ion Exchange ◽  
Atopic Eczema ◽  
Pilot Trial ◽  
Hard Water ◽  
Mechanistic Study ◽  
Softened Water ◽  
History Of ◽  
Randomised Controlled ◽  
Water Softener

IntroductionAtopic eczema affects 20% of UK children, and environmental factors are important in its aetiology. Several observational studies suggest an increased risk of atopic eczema in children living in hard water areas. The Softened Water for Eczema Prevention pilot trial tests the feasibility of installing domestic ion-exchange water softeners around the time of birth to reduce the risk of atopic eczema in children with a family history of atopy. A further aim is to explore the pathophysiological mechanisms for this in an embedded mechanistic study.Methods and analysisMulticentre parallel group assessor-blinded randomised controlled pilot trial. Participants are newborn babies (n=80) living in a hard water (>250 mg/L calcium carbonate) area at risk of developing atopic eczema because of a family history of atopy. Participants will be randomised prior to birth in a 1:1 ratio. The intervention group will have an ion-exchange water softener installed prior to birth. The control group will receive their usual domestic hard water supply. Follow-up will be until 6 months of age. Data will be collected at birth (baseline), 1, 3 and 6 months of age. The main outcome is the proportion of eligible families screened who are willing and able to be randomised. Several secondary feasibility and clinical endpoints will also be evaluated, alongside mechanistic outcomes. Data will be analysed on an intention-to-treat basis. There will be no hypothesis testing for the clinical outcomes. Study acceptability will be evaluated through semistructured interviews.Ethics and disseminationThis study has been reviewed and given a favourable opinion by the North West–Liverpool East Research Ethics Committee (Ref: 17/NW/0661). The results of the study will be reported at international conferences and in peer-reviewed scientific journals. We will send participating families a summary of the pilot trial results.Trial registration numberNCT03270566.

Reaction of Carbonic Acid with the Zeolite in a Water Softener

1939 ◽  
Vol 31 (6) ◽  
pp. 727-728 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roy E. King ◽  
O. M. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Carbonic Acid ◽  
Water Softener

scholarly journals Pretreatment Strategies to Improve Crude Glycerol Utilisation and Metabolite Production by Aspergillus terreus

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhamad Hafiz Abd Rahim ◽  
Hanan Hasan ◽  
Elicia Jitming Lim ◽  
Phebe K. Samrani ◽  
Ali Abbas
Keyword(s):  
Activated Carbon ◽  
Petroleum Ether ◽  
Diethyl Ether ◽  
Crude Glycerol ◽  
Aspergillus Terreus ◽  
Positive Control ◽  
Negative Control ◽  
Metabolite Production ◽  
Metabolites Production ◽  
Water Softener

Crude glycerol (CG) can be used as a substrate for microbial bioconversion. However, due to presence of many impurities, many microorganisms are unable to utilise this substrate efficiently. The present study is trying to improve CG using as the feedstock of Aspergillus terreus for the production of lovastatin, (+)-geodin, and sulochrin. The CG was pretreated chemically (solvents) and physically (activated carbon (AC) and water softener (WS)) to separate most of the impurities from the CG. For solvent pretreatments, petroleum ether (PE) produced the largest increase of lovastatin (92.8%) when compared to positive control and pure glycerol (PG) and up to 820% when compared to negative control (CG). In contrast, diethyl ether (DE) produced the largest increase in (+)-geodin at 80.81% (versus CG) and 176.23% (versus PG). The largest increase in toluene (Tol) was observed in sulochrin production, at 67.22% (versus CG) and 183.85% (versus PG). For physical pretreatments, the pattern of metabolite production in AC (lovastatin: 20.65 mg/L, (+)-geodin: 7.42 mg/L, sulochrin: 11.74 mg/L) resembled PG (lovastatin: 21.8 mg/L, (+)-geodin: 8.60 mg/L, sulochrin: 8.18 mg/L), while WS (lovastatin: 11.25 mg/L, (+)-geodin: 15.38 mg/L, sulochrin: 16.85 mg/L) resembled CG (lovastatin: 7.1 mg/L, (+)-geodin: 17.10 mg/L, sulochrin: 14.78 mg/L) at day 6 of fermentation. These results indicate that solvent pretreatments on CG are excellent for metabolites production in A. terreus, depending on the solvents used. In contrast, physical pretreatments are only feasible for (+)-geodin and sulochrin production. Therefore, different strategies can be employed to manipulate the A. terreus bioconversion using improved CG by using a few simple pretreatment strategies.

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