Water Filtration in Hotels

Water Filtration in Hotels

Chicago's new L7 Hotel has a simple solution to reducing plastic waste: installing Apec Water Systems' reverse osmosis filtration units directly into guest room faucets. At a wallet-friendly $15 per faucet, the hotel reports that the systems were a breeze to install (their in-house team handled it) and are projected to save 97,000 plastic bottles annually. This is an opportunity elsewhere too as more hotels face pressure to ditch single-use plastics – New York, California, Washington, and soon Illinois are all pushing legislation to ban bottles in hotels. And major chains like Marriott and Hilton are already hunting for plastic-free solutions.

Biomimicry: How Nature Inspires Water Filtration

SpringWell recently highlighted six ways nature is revolutionizing water filtration tech. For example, Aquaporin is using cell proteins that act like molecular bouncers (letting only water through), MIT copied manta rays to create clog-resistant filters with mini vortexes, and researchers are replicating fish gills for chemical-free microplastic removal. Yale's even built an "artificial mangrove" that mimics how these coastal plants filter salt water, while oyster-inspired tech is in development for nutrient removal. The team also focused on how coconut shell-activated carbon is gaining traction in whole-house systems. Companies (like SpringWell) are already using this renewable resource to tackle VOCs, chlorine, and hydrogen sulfide smells. And with coconuts harvestable multiple times yearly and consumers hungry for eco-friendly solutions, this could be a sustainable upgrade for the industry.

Understanding UV Purification

Palm Beach Water Purification, which boasts a several million dollar inventory of water treatment systems, just published a comprehensive guide to UV water treatment systems. The team explains how UV purification uses ultraviolet light to destroy harmful microorganisms like bacteria, viruses, and those notoriously resistant protozoa like Cryptosporidium by disrupting their DNA. The tech offers some compelling benefits like being chemical-free, preserving water taste, and working instantly at several gallons per minute. The main catch is that UV systems won't remove sediment, metals, or chemicals, making pre-filtration a must.

Disadvantages Of Water Softeners

Hunker.com wrote about the disadvantages (yes, you read that right) of using water softeners in homes. While softeners effectively tackle hard water issues (scale buildup, soap efficiency, appliance protection), the team says they come with some notable drawbacks. Installation costs can be steep (from $200 to $6,000), with maintenance running $50-150 per inspection plus ongoing salt or potassium costs. They also write about the health angle, including how some might actually benefit from hard water's calcium and magnesium, while sodium-based softening could be problematic for those watching their salt intake. Finally, they say environmental concerns are surfacing too recently with potential impacts on aquatic ecosystems from sodium discharge.

What else is happening:

• VVater, a water treatment technology company, secures additional multi-million dollar funding for expansion and further innovation

• Maryland is suing manufacturing giant W.L. Gore & Associates for knowingly polluting the air and surrounding water with toxic PFAS chemicals

• NSF celebrates 50 years of the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) and its impacts on water safety

• Family-owned ION Oxygen writes about the pros and cons of using water storage treatment drops

• Atlantic Coast Water Clinic writes about cloudy tap water and what do to about it