Recipe for making your own silica water
Excerpt
from Dennis' book Prevent Alzheimer's, Autism and Stroke and Silica
Water the Secret to Healthy Longevity in the Aluminum Age
Video -How to make your own silica water
Recipe for 'Silicade' water (silicon 36.5 mg/L) which has about the same amount of silica as Fiji water (silicon 36.5 mg/L). This will take 15 minutes to prepare.
ORDERING INFORMATION
Buy books
Video -How to make your own silica water
Recipe for 'Silicade' water (silicon 36.5 mg/L) which has about the same amount of silica as Fiji water (silicon 36.5 mg/L). This will take 15 minutes to prepare.
ORDERING INFORMATION
Sodium Silicate powder - Chemical Store and Z chemicals online
https://shop.chemicalstore.com/navigation/detail.asp?MySessionID=300-585809627&CatID=&id=SSG
For ordering outside the United States
https://zchemicals.com/product/sodium-silicate-low-alkaline/
https://zchemicals.com/
https://shop.chemicalstore.com/navigation/detail.asp?MySessionID=300-585809627&CatID=&id=SSG
For ordering outside the United States
https://zchemicals.com/product/sodium-silicate-low-alkaline/
https://zchemicals.com/
Sodium Bisulfate - from amazon: Professor Fullwood of LoudWolf Limited
https://www.amazon.com/Loudwolf-Sodium-Bisulfate-Microprills-Reagent/dp/B014AQ45DM?crid=3USU0QJNOG6XV&keywords=sodium+bisulfate+loudwolf&qid=1540647187&sprefix=loudwolf+sodium+bisulfate%2Caps%2C314&sr=8-1-fkmrnull&ref=sr_1_fkmrnull_1
https://www.amazon.com/Loudwolf-Sodium-Bisulfate-Microprills-Reagent/dp/B014AQ45DM?crid=3USU0QJNOG6XV&keywords=sodium+bisulfate+loudwolf&qid=1540647187&sprefix=loudwolf+sodium+bisulfate%2Caps%2C314&sr=8-1-fkmrnull&ref=sr_1_fkmrnull_1
Measuring spoon - dash, smidgen, pinch - Mini Measuring Spoons Set
Heavy Duty Stainless Steel Measuring Spoons for Dry or Liquid Ingredients, Fits
in Spice Jar
Do not use antique dash and smidgen measuring spoons as they may not be correctly calibrated.
Brand: YellRin ASIN B09J8CDQS4 available on Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09J8CDQS4?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details
Do not use antique dash and smidgen measuring spoons as they may not be correctly calibrated.
Preparation of Silicade
Silicade as a Synthetic
OSA Rich Silica Water Supplement
Making silicon rich water weekly at home is easy and much less expensive
and more sustainable than purchasing water bottled in Fiji or Malaysia. I call this water “Silicade” and there is a
You Tube Video on how to make it at “Silica Water – How to Make it at Home”. Silicade provides 124ppm
of dissolved silica to lower your body-burden of aluminum. Silicade preparation
requires only two ingredients and a set of small measuring spoons that in the
U.S.A. can be purchased online and shipped to your home. Silicade can be stored indefinitely in the
dark like Fiji water. The chemicals to
make Silicade store well and should be kept out of children’s reach:
·
Low Alkalinity Hydrous Sodium
Silicate: a hydrous powder available online from ChemicalStore.com. The powder is safer and easier to measure than the liquid form but
has the same ratio of 3.22 SiO2 to Na2O. The powder has a
as a purity of 99.5% and a formula of SiO2[Na2O]1/3.22
H2O (18.5% water) Mw of 97.25. Only order “sodium silicate – low
alkalinity”. Do not order “sodium
silicate – alkaline” from the ChemicalStore.com or Zchemicals.com. This powdery chemical can be stored
indefinitely in its screw-cap plastic container but slowly clumps. The clumps
are easily converted back to powder with a small mortar and pestle.
Note: This solid sodium silicate from the Chemical Store is Product G manufactured
by the PQ Corporation of Valley Forge, PA. Brenntag Specialties (Telephone No. 888-926-4151)
buys Product G from PQ Corporation and resells it worldwide as G Sodium
Silicate product number 387721 in 50 pound bags. ChemicalStore.com and
Zchemicals.com buy this product from Brenntag Specialties and sell it in 2
pound containers online.
·
Sodium Bisulfate (a.k.a. Sodium Hydrogen Sulfate): a white powder 99.5% pure of micro-prills (i.e. very small
pellets) from Professor Fullwood of LoudWolf Ltd. is available from Amazon. Note:
both optional calcium chloride and magnesium chloride are available from the
same source.
·
Mini Measuring Spoon Set: Norpro
3061D from Dine Company Online. Currently priced under $4 without shipping.
Three measuring spoons come attached to a single ring. Only the dash (1/8 of a
teaspoon) and smidgen (1/32 of a teaspoon) are used for Silicade preparation. In
order to avoid accidental use of the wrong measuring spoon, remove the pinch from
the ring. Note: in the early 2000’s some companies, such as Norpro and Dine, began
defining and accurately calibrating the dash and smidgen measuring spoons as precise
fractions of a teaspoon. Do not use antique dash and smidgen measuring spoons
as they may not be correctly calibrated.
·
Spatula: Any small spatula with a straight-edge works to level the contents of
the measuring spoons prior to addition.
Detailed Instructions
with Options for Making Silicade
By following these detailed instructions you can prepare a gallon of
Silicade or just follow the “Short Recipe for Silicade” that follows after
these detailed instructions:
1)
A level dash and two level smidgens (3/16 of a teaspoon, 600mg) of hydrous
powdered sodium silicate is placed in a Pyrex glass measuring cup. Add 1/8 cup
of tap water and bring to boiling in the microwave or on the stove, and let boil
for 30sec. This powder contains 99.5% water soluble sodium silicate monohydrate
and a maximum of 0.5% of water insoluble materials, as required by the American
Waterworks Standard B104-98 for adding sodium silicate to drinking water23.
Note: Do not heat to
boiling more than 1/8 cup of tap water as more water will lower the pH making
the sodium silicate less soluble.
2)
The hot water with dissolved sodium silicate is immediately diluted to
one gallon (3.785 liters) with cold tap water resulting in a 1.29 mM/liter (124ppm)
solution of pH 9.8 OSA.
3)
One level dash (1/8 of a teaspoon, 0.83 gr, 6.9 mM) of sodium
bisulfate is added to the solution of OSA and dissolved with stirring in order
to acidify the solution to pH 4 to 5. Optionally,
if tap water is more basic than pH 8.5, use a pH meter while slowly adding a
little more sodium bisulfate in order to lower the pH to 4.0-5.0. A pH 7.0 standard
solution is recommended for periodic calibration of the pH meter.
4)
The clear colorless acidic solution of OSA is further purified by
filtering through a Brita pitcher style filter resulting in OSA at a pH of 4.4.
This removes impurities added with sodium silicate and sodium bisulfate.
5)
Two level smidgens of sodium bicarbonate (a.k.a. baking soda) are
added and dissolved with stirring in the gallon of filtered OSA, resulting in Silicade
with a pH of 6.5, a TDS of 285 at 25oC, and less than 2mcg/L labile
aluminum. Each quart of Silicade
contains 36.5mg of dissolved silicon as 124ppm of monomeric (OSA).
6)
Optionally make
Silicade Plus Calcium, if tap water is low in calcium, add two level dashes of calcium
chloride flakes or prills (840mg 36% calcium) 99% pure from Loudwolf/Amazon.
This will increase the calcium level by 80 ppm, the TDS to 450 at 25oC,
and the pH to 6.6 in a gallon of Silicade + Ca. Labile aluminum in calcium
enriched Silicade is less than 2mcg/L. Calcium at
concentrations greater than or equal to 75ppm have a significant protective
effect on cognition433.
Optionally in order to increase magnesium by 20ppm add a dash of
magnesium chloride hexahydrate (>98%
purity) from LoudWolf/Amazon. Optionally make
Sparkling Silicade – Carbonating Silicade will result in a pH 4.5 sparkling beverage.
Drink 3 to 4 cups of Silicade a day around
meal times in order to provide a total of 25.5 to 34mg of silicon as monomeric
OSA. This is 7.7 to 10.3 times the 3.3mg of silicon that when consumed as OSA
per day was observed to lower the frequency of AD118. Silicade contains 124ppm of OSA and in the U.S.A. 160ppm of OSA (i.e. 100ppm of SiO2) is
generally recognized as safe in drinking water22.
Short Recipe for
Silicade
Ingredients
needed:
·
Sodium Silicate
·
Sodium Bisulfate
·
Baking Soda (sodium
bicarbonate)
Tools
needed:
·
Dash measuring spoon = 1/8 tsp
·
Smidgen measuring spoon = 1/32 tsp
·
1 cup Pyrex measuring cup
·
1 gallon measuring container
·
Brita filter - pitcher style
·
Spatula for leveling
·
Stirring utensil
Steps:
1. Add
1 level dash & 2 level smidgens of sodium silicate to a one-cup Pyrex
container
2.
Add 1/8 cup of tap water to the one-cup Pyrex measuring container
3.
Heat the contents of the Pyrex measuring cup to boiling and boil
for at least 30 seconds
4. Dilute
immediately with a small amount of unheated tap water
5. Pour
all the contents of the Pyrex measuring cup into a 1 gallon container
6. Fill
the 1 gallon container with unheated tap water to the 1 gallon mark on the
container
7.
Add 1 level dash of sodium bisulfate to the one gallon container
8.
Stir the mixture thoroughly and then filter the mixture through a Brita
filter pitcher
9.
After filtering, add 2 level smidgens of baking soda (sodium
bicarbonate) to the mixture
10. Stir
Silicade to dissolve the baking soda
11. Enjoy
the health benefits of drinking Silicade!
Silicade can be stored indefinitely in the dark at room temperature or in a refrigerator.
Why This Recipe
Works
The goal of this recipe for orthosilicic acid
(OSA) in drinking water is to use an easily measured solid silica powder and an
acidic microprill that are commercially available online and shipped to anyone,
not just chemical laboratories. Both of these chemicals are high purity (e.g.
99.5%).
·
Solubilize sodium
silicate: Boiling powdered sodium silicate for 30 seconds in an eighth of a cup
of tap water keeps the pH high enough (e.g. pH = 13) to solubilize silicate434-436.
·
Neutralize to form
OSA and prevent polymerization: In order to form OSA and other silica species
in equilibrium with OSA489 and to prevent OSA polymerization435-437,
immediately dilute the basic (e.g. pH=13) OSA solution to a gallon with tap
water and then immediately render the
solution non-hazardous by acidifying the solution to pH 4 to 5 with the
solid acid sodium bisulfate. A 1.29mM OSA solution is well below OSA’s
saturation level in water (e.g. 2-3mM) but requires 7 days to fully stabilize
rising from 108ppm immediately after preparation to 124ppm174. Polymerization of OSA
has been observed at neutral pH only well above OSA’s 200ppm saturation level435-437.
·
Remove Aluminum: For optimal
aluminum removal acidify the OSA solution with sodium bisulfate to pH 4.0 to
5.0 and then filter through a Brita pitcher style filter (OB03)174. A significant
portion (e.g. 98.5%) of the labile aluminum introduced in tap water is removed174,175.
This Brita filter is a combined activated
carbon and weak cation exchange resin that removes cations like aluminum but
does not remove OSA174. If
the tap water used for Silicade is between pH 6.5 to 8.5, as per EPA’s
secondary drinking water standard, then after acidification, filtration, and
bicarbonate addition Silicade will be pH 6.5.
·
Optionally add
Calcium and/or Magnesium: Have your tap water checked and if it is low in calcium and/or magnesium, add
supplemental calcium and/or magnesium to Silicade. The Brita filter reduces calcium and magnesium in
Quabbin tap water by one half175. Drinking water with calcium at levels of 80mg and
magnesium at levels of 20 ppm has been found to be optimal for good health438. This may be due to calcium and magnesium competing
with aluminum for absorption by the gut433. Calcium catalyzes the polymerization of OSA but
only at pH greater than 818,19.
Silicade + Ca is pH 6.6 and at this pH OSA in Silicade + Ca
is primarily a non-polymeric monomer174,439. Here is a link to answers for FAQ about making silicade.
Silicade as a Synthetic OSA Rich Silica Water Supplement
Making silicon rich water weekly at home is easy and much less expensive
and more sustainable than purchasing water bottled in Fiji or Malaysia. I call this water “Silicade” and there is a
You Tube Video on how to make it at “Silica Water – How to Make it at Home”. Silicade provides 124ppm
of dissolved silica to lower your body-burden of aluminum. Silicade preparation
requires only two ingredients and a set of small measuring spoons that in the
U.S.A. can be purchased online and shipped to your home. Silicade can be stored indefinitely in the
dark like Fiji water. The chemicals to
make Silicade store well and should be kept out of children’s reach:
·
Low Alkalinity Hydrous Sodium
Silicate: a hydrous powder available online from ChemicalStore.com. The powder is safer and easier to measure than the liquid form but
has the same ratio of 3.22 SiO2 to Na2O. The powder has a
as a purity of 99.5% and a formula of SiO2[Na2O]1/3.22
H2O (18.5% water) Mw of 97.25. Only order “sodium silicate – low
alkalinity”. Do not order “sodium
silicate – alkaline” from the ChemicalStore.com or Zchemicals.com. This powdery chemical can be stored
indefinitely in its screw-cap plastic container but slowly clumps. The clumps
are easily converted back to powder with a small mortar and pestle.
Note: This solid sodium silicate from the Chemical Store is Product G manufactured
by the PQ Corporation of Valley Forge, PA. Brenntag Specialties (Telephone No. 888-926-4151)
buys Product G from PQ Corporation and resells it worldwide as G Sodium
Silicate product number 387721 in 50 pound bags. ChemicalStore.com and
Zchemicals.com buy this product from Brenntag Specialties and sell it in 2
pound containers online.
·
Sodium Bisulfate (a.k.a. Sodium Hydrogen Sulfate): a white powder 99.5% pure of micro-prills (i.e. very small
pellets) from Professor Fullwood of LoudWolf Ltd. is available from Amazon. Note:
both optional calcium chloride and magnesium chloride are available from the
same source.
·
Mini Measuring Spoon Set: Norpro
3061D from Dine Company Online. Currently priced under $4 without shipping.
Three measuring spoons come attached to a single ring. Only the dash (1/8 of a
teaspoon) and smidgen (1/32 of a teaspoon) are used for Silicade preparation. In
order to avoid accidental use of the wrong measuring spoon, remove the pinch from
the ring. Note: in the early 2000’s some companies, such as Norpro and Dine, began
defining and accurately calibrating the dash and smidgen measuring spoons as precise
fractions of a teaspoon. Do not use antique dash and smidgen measuring spoons
as they may not be correctly calibrated.
·
Spatula: Any small spatula with a straight-edge works to level the contents of
the measuring spoons prior to addition.
Detailed Instructions
with Options for Making Silicade
By following these detailed instructions you can prepare a gallon of
Silicade or just follow the “Short Recipe for Silicade” that follows after
these detailed instructions:
1)
A level dash and two level smidgens (3/16 of a teaspoon, 600mg) of hydrous
powdered sodium silicate is placed in a Pyrex glass measuring cup. Add 1/8 cup
of tap water and bring to boiling in the microwave or on the stove, and let boil
for 30sec. This powder contains 99.5% water soluble sodium silicate monohydrate
and a maximum of 0.5% of water insoluble materials, as required by the American
Waterworks Standard B104-98 for adding sodium silicate to drinking water23.
Note: Do not heat to
boiling more than 1/8 cup of tap water as more water will lower the pH making
the sodium silicate less soluble.
2)
The hot water with dissolved sodium silicate is immediately diluted to
one gallon (3.785 liters) with cold tap water resulting in a 1.29 mM/liter (124ppm)
solution of pH 9.8 OSA.
3)
One level dash (1/8 of a teaspoon, 0.83 gr, 6.9 mM) of sodium
bisulfate is added to the solution of OSA and dissolved with stirring in order
to acidify the solution to pH 4 to 5. Optionally,
if tap water is more basic than pH 8.5, use a pH meter while slowly adding a
little more sodium bisulfate in order to lower the pH to 4.0-5.0. A pH 7.0 standard
solution is recommended for periodic calibration of the pH meter.
4)
The clear colorless acidic solution of OSA is further purified by
filtering through a Brita pitcher style filter resulting in OSA at a pH of 4.4.
This removes impurities added with sodium silicate and sodium bisulfate.
5)
Two level smidgens of sodium bicarbonate (a.k.a. baking soda) are
added and dissolved with stirring in the gallon of filtered OSA, resulting in Silicade
with a pH of 6.5, a TDS of 285 at 25oC, and less than 2mcg/L labile
aluminum. Each quart of Silicade
contains 36.5mg of dissolved silicon as 124ppm of monomeric (OSA).
6)
Optionally make
Silicade Plus Calcium, if tap water is low in calcium, add two level dashes of calcium
chloride flakes or prills (840mg 36% calcium) 99% pure from Loudwolf/Amazon.
This will increase the calcium level by 80 ppm, the TDS to 450 at 25oC,
and the pH to 6.6 in a gallon of Silicade + Ca. Labile aluminum in calcium
enriched Silicade is less than 2mcg/L. Calcium at
concentrations greater than or equal to 75ppm have a significant protective
effect on cognition433.
Optionally in order to increase magnesium by 20ppm add a dash of
magnesium chloride hexahydrate (>98%
purity) from LoudWolf/Amazon. Optionally make
Sparkling Silicade – Carbonating Silicade will result in a pH 4.5 sparkling beverage.
Drink 3 to 4 cups of Silicade a day around
meal times in order to provide a total of 25.5 to 34mg of silicon as monomeric
OSA. This is 7.7 to 10.3 times the 3.3mg of silicon that when consumed as OSA
per day was observed to lower the frequency of AD118. Silicade contains 124ppm of OSA and in the U.S.A. 160ppm of OSA (i.e. 100ppm of SiO2) is
generally recognized as safe in drinking water22.
Short Recipe for
Silicade
Ingredients
needed:
·
Sodium Silicate
·
Sodium Bisulfate
·
Baking Soda (sodium
bicarbonate)
Tools
needed:
·
Dash measuring spoon = 1/8 tsp
·
Smidgen measuring spoon = 1/32 tsp
·
1 cup Pyrex measuring cup
·
1 gallon measuring container
·
Brita filter - pitcher style
·
Spatula for leveling
·
Stirring utensil
Steps:
1. Add
1 level dash & 2 level smidgens of sodium silicate to a one-cup Pyrex
container
2.
Add 1/8 cup of tap water to the one-cup Pyrex measuring container
3.
Heat the contents of the Pyrex measuring cup to boiling and boil
for at least 30 seconds
4. Dilute
immediately with a small amount of unheated tap water
5. Pour
all the contents of the Pyrex measuring cup into a 1 gallon container
6. Fill
the 1 gallon container with unheated tap water to the 1 gallon mark on the
container
7.
Add 1 level dash of sodium bisulfate to the one gallon container
8.
Stir the mixture thoroughly and then filter the mixture through a Brita
filter pitcher
9.
After filtering, add 2 level smidgens of baking soda (sodium
bicarbonate) to the mixture
10. Stir
Silicade to dissolve the baking soda
11. Enjoy
the health benefits of drinking Silicade!
Silicade can be stored indefinitely in the dark at room temperature or in a refrigerator.
Why This Recipe
Works
The goal of this recipe for orthosilicic acid
(OSA) in drinking water is to use an easily measured solid silica powder and an
acidic microprill that are commercially available online and shipped to anyone,
not just chemical laboratories. Both of these chemicals are high purity (e.g.
99.5%).
·
Solubilize sodium
silicate: Boiling powdered sodium silicate for 30 seconds in an eighth of a cup
of tap water keeps the pH high enough (e.g. pH = 13) to solubilize silicate434-436.
·
Neutralize to form
OSA and prevent polymerization: In order to form OSA and other silica species
in equilibrium with OSA489 and to prevent OSA polymerization435-437,
immediately dilute the basic (e.g. pH=13) OSA solution to a gallon with tap
water and then immediately render the
solution non-hazardous by acidifying the solution to pH 4 to 5 with the
solid acid sodium bisulfate. A 1.29mM OSA solution is well below OSA’s
saturation level in water (e.g. 2-3mM) but requires 7 days to fully stabilize
rising from 108ppm immediately after preparation to 124ppm174. Polymerization of OSA
has been observed at neutral pH only well above OSA’s 200ppm saturation level435-437.
·
Remove Aluminum: For optimal
aluminum removal acidify the OSA solution with sodium bisulfate to pH 4.0 to
5.0 and then filter through a Brita pitcher style filter (OB03)174. A significant
portion (e.g. 98.5%) of the labile aluminum introduced in tap water is removed174,175.
This Brita filter is a combined activated
carbon and weak cation exchange resin that removes cations like aluminum but
does not remove OSA174. If
the tap water used for Silicade is between pH 6.5 to 8.5, as per EPA’s
secondary drinking water standard, then after acidification, filtration, and
bicarbonate addition Silicade will be pH 6.5.
·
Optionally add
Calcium and/or Magnesium: Have your tap water checked and if it is low in calcium and/or magnesium, add
supplemental calcium and/or magnesium to Silicade. The Brita filter reduces calcium and magnesium in
Quabbin tap water by one half175. Drinking water with calcium at levels of 80mg and
magnesium at levels of 20 ppm has been found to be optimal for good health438. This may be due to calcium and magnesium competing
with aluminum for absorption by the gut433. Calcium catalyzes the polymerization of OSA but
only at pH greater than 818,19.
Silicade + Ca is pH 6.6 and at this pH OSA in Silicade + Ca
is primarily a non-polymeric monomer174,439.
Here is a link to answers for FAQ about making silicade.
Chemistry isn't my strong suit, so what is the issue with the alkaline vs low-alkaline sodium silicate. I got the wrong one and haven't used it yet. Thanks
ReplyDeleteI apologize for my delayed response. I realize I don't have my notification system set up correctly. The high alkaline sodium silicate would require much more sodium bisulfate to neutralize it resulting in salty tasting water.
DeleteDear Chris,
ReplyDeleteLoved both your books (bought them on kindle) and have been making silicade as per your recipe for a few months now. I have 3 questions I hope you will answer:
1) We already use a reverse-osmosis system to filter our tap water. Are there any benefits to filtering the water again (after adding the sodium silicate, bisodium sulfate, and baking soda) in a Brita filter? Currently, I've not been doing that, but just wondered what you think.
2) Do you know of any independent lab that has tested your formulation to check the level of OSA? I wonder if others can confirm that your recipe does in fact result in water that is very similar to Fiji water (at least with regard to OSA).
3) Do you know of an alternative supplier of sodium bisulfate? Loudwolf is currently out of this product (but more will be in stock within 10 days, according to a company rep).
I know we can just go buy some fiji water but we hate to buy a bunch of plastic bottles and contribute to the deteriorating ecosystem, etc. I'm very grateful for your books, your blog, your recipe, and your wife, who has contributed very positively to several ongoing threads on Alzheimer's etc.
Sincerely,
Kelly
I apologize for the delayed response. I have just learned I don't have my notification system set up correctly.
Delete1. The Brita is used to filter out any impurities which might be added by the ingredients.
2. No independent lab has tested Silicade for OSA because I don't know of a lab that uses the Coradin Blue procedure to measure OSA.
3.Loudwolf just became available again on Amazon. I did test another source of sodium bisulfate which is distributed by 2 companies. The companies are Asian Dragon (Amazon) and Mindy Materials.
Dennis
Hi, i also wonder about refiltering. I hoped our RO Primo water might not require a Brita filter. We get it at Walmart, costs about .42 a gallon. I don't see any silica listing on Primo's water analysis. They show aluminum and fluoride levels as Not Detected. If the local water has a reasonable silica content, would it get through the Primo filtration process?
DeleteJohn, Are you saying you are using the Primo water to make Silicade? If yes, you still need to do step 8 -filtering with a Brita filter. This filtering is necessary to remove impurities which are in the ingredients used in this recipe.
DeleteOk, Doc, thanks. I haven't stated making silicade, just drinking Fiji water. I was hoping the Primo, RO from local tap water, might already have OSA, but I doubt it.
DeleteI will be sure to stick with the Brita when I start making my own.
When I searched for your website, your father's obituary notice came up. I'm sorry for your loss. Hope your mother is doing well.
Thank you for you condolences. My father was 95 and we had a wonderful celebration of his life. My mother is doing well. She continues to live in her home by herself which I am truly grateful for. She wants to remain in her home for the remainder of her life and I am hopeful this will happen. She continues to take supplements and drink Fiji water.
DeleteRegarding RO water, RO water will never have silica. The RO process lowers all ionic minerals.
Thank you for your great book Dennis, i'm just reading your one about longevity in the aluminium age, to help my own parents. I just wanted to ask about the Brita filter. In the UK the standard Brita filter is called the Brita Maxtra, do you know if this filter is suitable for keeping the sillica in the water after its filtered? I've tried to find the OBO3 but its not available over here.
ReplyDeleteI've got a feeling Brita Maxtra may not be available in the USA. So i'm wondering if it would be safe to just drink silicade without filtering
Thank you very much!
Dom
And one final question, can i use sodium bisulfate monohydrate?
ReplyDeleteI some at 99% pure, but not sure if monohydrate i suitable
Thank you again!
Dom
I have tested the Brita Maxtra and it is the same as the Brita standard filter. Sorry for the delay in getting back to you.
ReplyDeleteDominic, I don't recommend using sodium bisulfate monohydrate as it it difficult to measure.
ReplyDeleteI have a berkey filter system. Is that okay to use instead of a brita filter system?
ReplyDeleteSorry I missed your comment. You can not use a Berkey filter for this recipe. I chose the Brita filter because it does not remove OSA (the form of silica in the recipe) and it removes aluminum. If you are using a Berkey fluoride filter you are adding aluminum to your water as the filter uses aluminum oxide to remove the fluoride.
DeleteAny issues with scaling this up to 5-gallons (just multiply every measurement by 5) instead of 1 gallon?
ReplyDeleteThere is no problem scaling this recipe. As you suggest just multiply by how many gallons of water are being converted to Silicade.
DeleteI’m no chemist but I read the msds sheets. Am I correct that these two chemicals are safe and not at all toxic for ingestion, even if someone didnt get the recipe perfect? They’re irritants and alkaline or acidic, so obviously avoid eyes, don’t spill the container and breath it in, don’t eat a spoonful and etc., but other than that they are totally safe correct? I’m certain I can get the recipe right, but still wondering just in case.
ReplyDeleteAs the recipe makes clear the sodium silicate is basic and must be neutralized by the acid sodium bisulfate to make the resulting OSA solution (Silicade) safe for ingestion.
DeleteOk I understand. Thank you
DeleteThe most recent mineral analysis for Fiji Water states it contains 93mg/L silica. (See the FAQ page on their website: https://www.fijiwater.com/pages/faq.) If I desired to make "Silicade" with 93mg/L silica content, how would the recipe change?
ReplyDeleteSorry for the delay in answering. The test for OSA of Fiji water gave 124 ppm of OSA. I tailored the recipe for Silicade to be 124 ppm of OSA. Not all of the silica in Fiji water is in the form of OSA.
DeleteI'm seeing little particulate "flakes" precipitate after a few days....are these anything to worry about and am I just making the recipe wrong?
ReplyDeleteSorry for the delay in answering. The precipitate you are seeing is a result of the .5% insoluble impurities in the sodium silicate. These will be removed during the Brita filtering step.
DeleteHi Dennis, I have been looking at adding silica to my water as per your recipe. However, there are several independent labs that have tested the brita water filter showing that it only reduces contaminants by about 50%. In fact there is a recent report that states that the brita filter water increased aluminum by 33%. I was wondering how tested the brita filter? Could they have recently changed the filter spec? I could test my self but that would get expensive really quickly. Also, do we know how much aluminum or other contaminants are in the sodium bisulfate? I look forward to your response and thank you!
ReplyDeleteI have tested 3 different types of Brita filters none of them released aluminum in fact all of them removed aluminum. Brita has not changed their filters. Sodium bisulfate has .5 % contaminants. Aluminum is not a large component of the .5 %, there may actually be no aluminum in the sodium bisulfate.
DeleteHello, I recently followed your recipe for adding silica to my water. I filtered it through the Britta twice hoping to improve the taste. It didn't work. The water has a distinct taste that I do not prefer. Is there any way to improve the taste?
ReplyDeleteI am used to drinking Fiji water and am probably spoiled!
Thanks, Beth
My wife and I can not detect any difference between Silicade and Fiji water. We have done this test several times with the same results. Any taste difference you are experiencing is due to the water you are starting the recipe with. You can trying changing the pH of the Silicade, however keep the pH in the 6.5 to 8.5 range. Waters closer to an 8.5 pH taste soapier.
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