Biotite mineral extract, sold under a variety of names (the most common of them is Adya Clarity), is a patented (1) concentrated ionic mineral solution extracted from biotite mica with sulfuric acid.
The process provides a blend of at least 22 mineral salts in their sulfate form (ionically bonded to the sulfate ion, (SO4)2). Sulfate salts have advantages over chloride salts (mineral ions bonded to the chloride ion) for a variety of reasons:
1. Sulfates have a stronger electrical charge. They break apart large mineral colloids (common in juvenile* water) so minerals are more biologically available.
2. Sulfate ions (sulfur that is bonded to 4 oxygen molecules) have a tetrahedral structure similar to water. Because of their structure and strong electrical charge, sulfate ions hold water molecules tightly. They participate as “structure-making ions” helping to maintain water’s molecular structure to a greater degree than chloride-based salts. However, both are important for balanced water. Most unprocessed salts contain a balanced blend of minerals in the chloride, sulfate and bicarbonate forms. Read about the importance of salts in water.
3. Sulfur is an essential element. The requirement for sulfur is nearly twice the requirement for chloride in the human body. It is a component of many enzymes, amino acids, and vitamins; many people are sulfur deficient.
*Juvenile vs. Mature water are terms used by Viktor Schauberger that refer to the structure and the state of the minerals in water. As water matures, large mineral colloids are broken down until eventually only individual ions remain. Ions (but not colloids) support the structure of the water and its ability to transmit signals and other energetic information carried in water. Mature water is not hard water. The minerals in mature water do not form scale the way juvenile water does, and they do not accumulate as plaque in the human body.
The biotite mineral extract is much more than a sulfate salt solution. When the highly concentrated mineral blend is added to contaminated water, a number of reactions take place that mature* the water and neutralize every contaminant that has been tested to date.
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How does it work?
1. When biotite extracts are added to water, sulfate ions literally (and explosively) pull apart existing ionic bonds. The chloride and carbonate salts in water are freed and the individual ions have a chance to re-assemble to include sulfate ions. This matures* and helps structure the water. The strength of the electrical reaction forces a degree of ionization in the water itself (splitting water molecules into their ionic parts (H+ and OH-). Oxygen radicals are formed during the process as the solution attains and maintains equilibrium.
2. Oxygen radicals, the strongest of which is the hydroxyl radical (OH), oxidize (break down/burn up) contaminants in the water by stealing electrons. Ozone is also produced.(2) Together these forms of oxygen destroy anaerobic bacteria, virus, and parasites in a manner similar to the way the immune system combats invading microbes. The process also breaks down harmful chemicals, solvents, pharmaceuticals, and even fluoride compounds.
3. The molecular structure of the water changes. Natural ionization is a factor in the structuring of water. It frees water (and mineral) molecules so they can assemble into a more organized geometric matrix. When water becomes a liquid crystal, it is no longer able to hold large particles (mineral colloids or contaminants). Anything that is too large to remain in the organized matrix eventually settles out. These can then be removed using inexpensive filters.
The Japanese creator, Dr Asao Shimanishi, had this to say about the process:
“Rather than working directly with dissolved oxygen [to eradicate contaminants] we thought of activating the oxygen in water to create radical oxygen, called OH, by introducing minerals in an ionized state. . . .Here, we need to discuss the subject of ions which are electrical energy. When this electrical charge is introduced to water, elements in the water will either be inactivated or activated. Mixed with water, our super minerals act to start and catalyze the process of changing oxygen in the water into activated oxygen, an extremely powerful oxidant.”
The process is enhanced by other reactions that take place due to the minerals in the solution. The minerals in the solution are extracted from a common silicate rock known as biotite mica, otherwise known as black mica. The general formula is K(Mg,Fe)3AlSi3O10(F,OH)2 . Like most silicate minerals (including many healing clays) biotite contains an abundance of aluminum and iron. These two elements (in their sulfate form) are the most common coagulants used in today’s water treatment systems. They are well known to neutralize many contaminants and to cause them to precipitate out for easy removal. The aluminum and iron are removed at the end of the process so excessive aluminum and iron are not left in the water. Here is how it works:
Most contaminants dissolved in water have an electrical charge; they tend to repel each other. As a result, they stay dispersed and/or dissolved in water, as shown. Coagulants neutralize electrical charges. Once particles no longer repel each other, van der Waal’s forces (the tendency of particles to attract each other if they have no charge) make particles gradually drift toward one another. When enough have joined, they settle out as shown.
Coagulants such as aluminum sulfate and ferric sulfate (both abundant in the extracted solution) are among the most commonly used coagulants in modern water treatment. Added to water, they furnish highly charged positive ions to neutralize suspended particles. The hydroxides formed during the process produce floc which traps bacteria and other contaminants as it settles. During the reaction, the fact that oxidation occurs first, means that contaminants are rendered harmless AND then precipitated out for physical removal. Below are the two most common reactions that take place during coagulation.
A12(SO4)3 + 3 Ca(HCO3)2 → 2 Al(OH)3 + 3CaSO4 + 6 CO2
Aluminum sulfate + Calcium bicarbonate (in the water) → Aluminum hydroxide + Calcium sulfate + Carbon dioxide
Fe2(SO4)3 + Ca(HCO3)2 → 2 Fe(OH)3 + 3CaSO4 + 6 CO2
Ferric sulfate + Calcium bicarbonate → Ferric hydroxide + Calcium sulfate + Carbon dioxide
Removal of arsenic and heavy metals
While the reactions that take place during the neutralization of hundreds of contaminants have not all been identified, several are well known. One such reaction removes arsenic and other heavy metals from water. Heavy metals are attracted to ferric hydroxide. When they are present in treated water, both iron and heavy metals can be removed in the sediment.(3)
Ferric hydroxide is also produced as iron rusts. In Nepal where arsenic is a big problem, water is poured through a bed of rusting nails where ferric hydroxide attracts arsenic. Subsequent filtering through sand removes both elements.(4)
When iron is oxidized to form ferric hydroxide, it binds to a large number of contaminants. The orange stain left on a filter is an indication that this reaction is at work and is responsible (at least in part) for the removal of numerous contaminants from the water.
Removal of fluoride
Biotite mineral extracts are one of few inexpensive methods for removing fluoride. They work because fluoride is attracted to aluminum hydroxide—similar to activated alumina. (Activated alumina is made by heating aluminum hydroxide.) While the activated form adsorbs more fluoride, aluminum hydroxide also works.(5) Biotite minerals have been shown to remove 50% of fluoride in fluoridated water within 15 minutes at the recommended dosage. Longer treatment time and increased dosage, improves the removal rate—up to 100%. Click to see test results
Aluminum sulfate (alum) by itself can be used in some parts of the world to remove fluoride from water. Using a simple process known as the Nalgonda method, native populations in India and Africa have removed excessive fluoride from drinking water for many years. Alum which can be purchased in any grocery store, is the basic ingredient. Alum acts as a coagulating agent, and the by-product of the reaction (aluminum hydroxide) grabs the fluoride. Both can be removed by simple filtration after the coagulant settles. The most limiting factor in the Nalgonda method is the level of bicarbonates (alkalinity) in the water. Without bicarbonates (found in hard water) the process does not proceed. The second most limiting factor is pH which is best between 5.5 and 7.5. The addition of a sodium or magnesium bicarbonate solution can be used to stabilize the pH in water with little alkalinity while providing bicarbonates to support the reaction.
Biotite mineral solutions can be a tremendous asset for anyone interested in a treatment system that inactivates contaminants and prepares the water for simple filtration and energetic enhancement. It circumvents the need for expensive and complex filtration systems.
How to use Biotite mineral solutions
• To remove contaminants: Add 1 tsp of the mineral concentrate to each gallon of water. Within seconds you can often see contaminants that have been inactivated (oxidized) begin to gather in a cloudy haze. Once contaminants have been inactivated and had a chance to settle (this can take a few minutes to 24 hours depending on the degree of contamination) the water can be filtered using any simple carbon-based filter.
• To remove fluoride from water: Add 1 tsp to 1 gallon of water. Let this sit for 24 hours before filtering. The solution removes fluoride in two ways: Adsorption to aluminum hydroxide (then filtered out) and ion exchange where the sulfate ion causes the fluoride ion to be released, leaving fluoride to associate with existing calcium in the water and/or to evaporate as a gas. Calcium fluoride is over 80 times less toxic than sodium fluoride.
• As a vegetable wash: Add 1 Tbsp to a gallon of water and soak fruits and vegetables for 5 minutes. This draws pesticides and other contaminants from deep within food for a thorough cleanse. This same solution can be used over and over again for several weeks before discarding.
• In the bath – use 3 or more Tbsp per bath. Soak as long as you can or until the bath gets cold. Wonderful for removing toxins through the skin.
• In a spa or Jacuzzi – biotite minerals will eliminate the need for chlorine and other disinfection chemicals. In a 500 gallon Jacuzzi, add 2-3 quarts – depending on your water. No need to change the water – just add more after 6-8 months.
NOTE: If you live in an area where the water has little natural alkalinity (East coast and Northwest coast in the US –and typically in areas where the soil pH is below 7.0) the addition of bicarbonates will assure that the reaction is complete.How to make and use a bicarbonate solution with Biotite minerals
If you live in a area where your water is considered “soft” —without alkalinity—and generally with a pH under 7.0, then the addition of bicarbonates is recommended for the reaction to work optimally (see equation above) . The addition of bicarbonates will produce a greater amount of precipitate, it will gather a greater number of contaminants, and it will help the aluminum (and iron) to be removed during filtration. Bicarbonates are usually found in water as calcium bicarbonate, but adding any bicarbonate (sodium, magnesium, calcium and/or potassium) will work. Sodium is the easiest to use since sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) is readily available.Sodium bicarbonate (baking soda)
To make a solution of sodium bicarbonate, add 3 Tbsp to 1 cup of distilled water and let this dissolve. This is your concentrated bicarbonate solution. (Dissolving the sodium bicarbonate first speeds the reaction.) Now, depending on the pH of your water, add between ½ and 1 tsp of the concentrated solution to each gallon of water before you add the mineral solution. Stir slowly for several minutes, then leave to settle (24 to 48 hours) . Filter using any carbon-based filter before consumption.
References:
(1) Adya Clarity Patent – water purifying agent: http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=/netahtml/PTO/srchnum.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=4,776,963.PN.&OS=PN/4,776,963&RS=PN/4,776,963
(2) Mordecai B. Rubin, Bull. The history of ozone; The Schonbein period, 1839-1868. Hist. Chem., Vol 26, Number 1. Technion-Israel Institute of Technology (2001) pgs 41-56
(3)L. K. Wang, Y.T. Hung, N.K. Shammas (Eds.), Physicochemical Treatment Processes, vol. 3, Humana Press, New Jersey (2004), pp. 141–198
(4) Web address to the filtration process used in Nepal: http://www.safewater.org/PDFS/resourcesknowthefacts/Filters_for_Families.pdf
(5) Beneberu Shimelis, Feleke Zewge, Bhagwan Singh, Removal of excess fluoride from water by aluminum hydroxide. Bull. Chem. Soc. Ethiop. 2006, 20(1), 17-34. Online at: http://www.ajol.info/index.php/bcse/article/view/21140