Beverage manufacture, processing, packaging and dispensing using electrochemically activated water

• US 8,293,669 B2
• Filed: 02/06/2009
• Issued: 10/23/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Radical Waters International Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Radical Waters International Ltd.
• Inventors: Kirkpatrick, Robin Duncan
• Primary Examiner(s): Mayes, Melvin C
• Assistant Examiner(s): COHEN, STEFANIE J
• Application Number:
  US12/366,735
• Publication Number:
  US 20090203516A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,355 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 502/22
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 2/50 by irradiation or electric treatment without heating
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2/18 Liquid substances or solutions comprising solids or dissolved gases
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 3/08 the liquid having chemical or dissolving effect substances used, see the relevant classes
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 9/08 Cleaning containers, e.g. tanks
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 9/20 by using apparatus into or on to which containers, e.g. bottles, jars, cans are brought washing or rinsing crockery or tableware A47L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/283 using coal, charred products, or inorganic mixtures containing them
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/4618 for producing "ionised" acidic or basic water
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/4672 by electrooxydation
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2001/46185 only anodic or acidic water, e.g. for oxidizing or sterilizing
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2001/46195 characterised by the oxidation reduction potential [ORP]
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2201/46145 Fluid flow
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2201/46185 Recycling the cathodic or anodic feed
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2209/04 Oxidation reduction potential [ORP]
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2209/06 pH
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2303/04 Disinfection
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2303/16 Regeneration of sorbents, filters
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2303/20 Prevention of biofouling

Abstract

A system using electrochemically-activated water (ECAW) for manufacturing, processing, packaging, and dispensing beverages including: (a) using ECAW to neutralize incompatible residues when transitioning from the production of one beverage to another; (b) using ECAW to rehabilitate and disinfect granular activated charcoal beds used in the feed water purification system; (c) producing a carbonated ECAW product and using the carbonated ECAW for system cleaning or disinfecting; (d) using ECAW solutions in the beverage facility clean-in-place system to achieve improved microbial control while greatly reducing water usage and reducing or eliminating the use of chemical detergents and disinfectants; (e) further reducing biofilm growth in the processing system, and purifying ingredient water without the use of chlorine, by adding an ECAW anolyte to the water ingredient feed stream; and/or (f) washing the beverage product bottles or other packages with one or more ECAW solutions prior to packaging.

Claims

1. A method of rehabilitating and disinfecting a granular activated charcoal bed used for purifying water wherein said granular activated charcoal bed is located in a vessel other than an electrochemical activation system and said method is conducted without passing an electrical current through said granular activated charcoal bed, said method comprising the non-simultaneous steps of:

(a) contacting said granular activated charcoal bed with an electrochemically-activated water catholyte solution and

(b) contacting said granular activated charcoal bed with an electrochemically-activated water anolyte solution,

wherein steps (a) and (b) are performed in a manner effective to cause an amount of electrostatically bound material to be released from said granular activated charcoal bed and to neutralize free-floating and granular adherent microbes,

prior to contacting said granular activated charcoal bed, said electrochemically-activated water catholyte solution and said electrochemically-activated water anolyte solution have each been produced in an electrochemical activation system by electrochemical activation of an aqueous salt solution comprising not more than 9 grams of salt per liter of water, said salt being sodium chloride, potassium chloride, or a combination thereof,

when in undiluted form, said electrochemically-activated water catholyte solution has a negative oxidation-reduction potential of at least ⁻

110 mV and a pH in a range of from about 8 to about 13, and

when in undiluted form, said electrochemically-activated water anolyte solution has a positive oxidation-reduction potential of at least ⁺650 mV and a pH in a range of from about 4.5 to about 7.5.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said negative oxidation-reduction potential of said electrochemically-activated water catholyte solution is at least ⁻

700 mV.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein:

said electrochemically-activated water catholyte solution is used in undiluted form for contacting said granular activated charcoal bed in step (a) and

said electrochemically-activated water anolyte solution is used in undiluted form for contacting said granular activated charcoal bed in step (b).

4. The method of claim 1 wherein:

said electrochemically-activated water anolyte solution has a beginning oxidation-reduction potential prior to contacting said granular activated charcoal bed;

said beginning oxidation-reduction potential is a positive mV oxidizing value;

said electrochemically-activated water anolyte solution has a spent oxidation-reduction potential after being used for contacting said granular activated charcoal bed; and

step (b) comprises the steps of;

(i) determining said beginning oxidation-reduction potential of said electrochemically-activated water anolyte solution,

(ii) contacting said granular activated charcoal bed with said electrochemically-activated water anolyte solution,

(iii) determining said spent oxidation-reduction potential of said electrochemically-activated water anolyte solution after step (ii) and

(iv) repeating steps (ii) and (iii) at least until said spent oxidation-reduction potential of said electrochemically-activated water anolyte solution determined in step (iii) is a positive mV oxidizing value which is not more than 544 mV less than said beginning oxidation-reduction potential of said electrochemically-activated water anolyte solution.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein said beginning oxidation-reduction potential of said electrochemically-activated water anolyte solution is at least ⁺650 mV.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein, in step (iv), steps (ii) and (iii) are repeated at least until said spent oxidation-reduction potential of said electrochemically-activated water anolyte solution determined in step (iii) is not more than 143 mV less than said beginning oxidation-reduction potential of said electrochemically-activated water anolyte solution.

7. The method of claim 4 wherein, in step (iv), steps (ii) and (iii) are repeated at least until said spent oxidation-reduction potential of said electrochemically-activated water anolyte solution determined in step (iii) is not more than 104 mV less than said beginning oxidation-reduction potential of said electrochemically-activated water anolyte solution.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein step (b) is conducted at least twice such that:

said electrochemically-activated water anolyte solution is at least once delivered to said granular activated charcoal bed in a substantially normal operating flow direction and

said electrochemically-activated water anolyte solution is at least once delivered to said granular activated charcoal bed in a reverse flow direction which is substantially opposite said substantially normal operating flow direction.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein step (a) is conducted at least twice such that:

said electrochemically-activated water catholyte solution is at least once delivered to said granular activated charcoal bed in a substantially normal operating flow direction and

said electrochemically-activated water catholyte solution is at least once delivered to said granular activated charcoal bed in a reverse flow direction which is substantially opposite said substantially normal operating flow direction.