[at-l] MSR MIOX Filter (More than you probably want to know)

[l_parker at cacaphony.net (L. Clayton Parker)]

According to the Material Safety Data Sheet for Clorox it contains:
HYPOCHLOROUS ACID, SODIUM SALT; (SODIUM HYPOCHLORITE) and nothing else.

The MSR MIOX Purifier occupies only 14% of the space required by a typical
portable water treatment filter and is ? the weight. The sleek and compact
design is an attractive feature for backpackers or travelers trying to
minimize packing volume and weight. The disinfectant solution does not leave
an aftertaste at standard doses, unlike chlorine or iodine tablets. Each
dose will treat anywhere from 1/2 liter up to a gallon of water.

The device operates by converting a brine solution to a mixed-oxidant
solution via electrolysis. Each Purifier utilizes two 3V lithium camera
batteries, a salt pellet and a tiny electrolytic cell. The Purifier will
treat approximately 50 liters of water on one salt pellet and 200 liters of
water on one set of batteries. The Purifier can be used over and over,
making water treatment an inexpensive procedure after the initial purchase.
An important feature of using simple salt as the disinfectant source is that
salt has an infinite shelf life, so the Purifier will still function even if
stored without use for a long period of time. The disinfectant will
inactivate a number of common pathogens, including E. coli, Giardia, and
Cryptosporidium, as well as chemical and biological warfare agents. The
Purifier has passed the EPA Purifier Protocol, achieving more than 10 times
the level of disinfection than required for normal waters.

Dugway Proving Ground, a U.S. Government laboratory, has been testing MIOX
mixed-oxidant solution since the year 2000 on biological and chemical
warfare agents. Findings show high efficacy against all agents, including
Anthrax spores. Mixed oxidants achieved up to 99.99% inactivation of the
spore, depending on the dose and contact time. Further studies are underway
at various doses with conditions that more closely simulate potential water
contamination.

The mixed-oxidant solution also effectively destroyed the bacteria
associated with Plague, the viruses associated with smallpox and polio, and
the nerve agents Soman (GD), V-Agent (VX), and Lewisite (L). Research is
ongoing.

The MIOX cell, the heart of the technology, generates a mixed-oxidant
solution electrolytically from a sodium chloride (NaCl) brine. Electrolysis
of chloride solutions has been used for decades to generate chlorine (Cl2)
and hypochlorite (OCl).

The key difference is that the MIOX cell has a patented process that
separates solutions generated at the anode (oxidants) and at the cathode
(reductants).

The mixed-oxidant solution consists of hypochlorous acid (HOCl) and other
chlor-oxygen species.  The free available chlorine (FAC) concentration of
the solution is a factor of the amperage, which is different for each
product line.  The most concentrated solution is approximately 0.4% FAC,
which is below the 1% concentration threshold for hazardous classification.

So what does the US Government have to do with all of this? This is how the
water on the USS Enterprise and several other aircraft carriers is
decontaminated...

Lee I Joe


Once I knew where I was going, but now I have  forgotten.  Sometimes my mind
wanders.  Sometimes it goes alone, and other times it takes me along...this
isn't one of those times...



> -----Original Message-----
> From: Frank Looper [mailto:mapster@charter.net]
> Sent: Wednesday, December 31, 2003 1:07 PM
> To: L. Clayton Parker
> Subject: Re: [at-l] MSR MIOX Filter
>
>
> I recently began using MSR Viral Stop. 10 bucks, 60 gallons, weighs very
> little.
>
> Clorox isn't Sodium Hypochlorite. All it'll do is make your water taste
> bad, unlike the above named drops.
>
> Frank
>