Milli-Q Biocel Ultrapure Water Purification System - Reagent Grade+

 

This could be a very economical, high quality water source for a small lab.  It can also be used in “batch” with a small inexpensive pump for locations with no running water (1 Batch Method:  See bottom of description).   The Milli-Q Biocel Ultrapure Water Purification System is a fairly recent model of what has become the industry standard for laboratory water purification.  The unit is in perfect operational condition with no leaks, no drips and no errors and is cosmetically in excellent condition.  Replacement Generic Q-Gard’s are about $138 and seem to last significantly longer than the Millipore 4 month replacement schedule (in my opinion).  The current Q-Gard packs installed are older but seem to be in good condition and we are getting immediate 18.2 megohm-cm quality water.  Basically, this could be an excellent lab water purifier for a small lab on a tight budget.  With the availability of generic Q-Gards this is easily the most economical unit I have seen Millipore produce to date.  Millipore rightly recommends using a pre-filtration system but for small scale water production this could also be used directly with tap water.  

 

Millipore* Millipak*-20 Filter Unit - Millipak Express 20

Fisher Scientific  Catalog No. MPGP 020 01   $138.00

 

Good quality generic replacements can be found at labwater.com.

 

The Milli-Q Biocel water purification system provides up to 1.5 liters/min) of ultrapure water.  The system is designed to provide the final polish to water pretreated by reverse osmosis (RO), distillation, or deionization (DO) and produces Type I, reagent-grade water that meets or exceeds all ASTM, CAP, ACS, and NCCLS standards for purity.

 

Water Quality Specification:

 

FLOWRATE 

1.3 - 1.7 LPM 

 

RESISTIVITY 

Minimum 18.0 MΩ.cm @ 25°C 

Typically 18.2 MΩ.cm @ 25°C 

 

PARTICLES 

≤ 1/ml (particle size > 0.22 μm) 

 

PYROGENS 

BioPak installed 

< 0.001 Eu/ml 

 

TOC Maximum 5 ppb (this specification came from test conditions where a Milli-Q Gradient was fitted with a Q-Gard® 1 Purification Pack and a Quantum™ EX Ultrapure Cartridge and the feedwater came from a Millipore RiOs™ Water System. The feedwater TOC value was < 50 ppb). The TOC of the Milli-Q Product Water can vary as a function of the feedwater TOC. 

 

MICRO-ORGANISMS ≤ 1 CFU/m

 

 

• The Q-Gard purification pack virtually eliminates dead-water volume, significantly reducing contamination.

• The Millipak 40 point-of-use filter provides a final, .22 µm filtration just before water is delivered to your point of use.

• Automatic recirculation of water in the system every hour discourages bacterial growth and maintains water quality between uses.

• A resistivity sensor automatically tests the resistivity, or purity, of the water in the system; the reading is automatically temperature compensated to 25°C (77°F).

• The system standby mode allows automatic intermittent recirculation without continuously running the pump; this prevents excessive wearing of the pump.

• The compact design enables you to install the Milli-Q Biocel system on your laboratory bench or mount it on a wall. This versatile system can also be automatically controlled from a remote location such as a clinical analyzer.  The QPAK purification pack contains all of the purification media needed to achieve high-quality water: activated carbon to remove dissolved organics, nuclear-grade ion exchange

 

The new, compact Milli-Q Biocel system is controlled by a microprocessor (PC board) located inside the system's cabinet. It is electronically connected to the alphanumeric display, which shows you:

 

• water quality (resistivity)

• Auto Test results

• system mode (for STANDBY and RECIRCULATION)

• temperature

• system errors

 

Water flows into the Milli-Q Biocel system through an inlet solenoid valve, then through the system pump and into the QPAK purification pack. The resistivity sensor measures the water quality before the purified water flows through the RECIRCULATION/PRODUCTION valve and into a check valve.

Water then flows either through a Millipak .22 µm final filter at the point of use or it is recirculated through the system.  The Milli-Q Biocel system contains many built-in features that allow you to easily control and monitor the system's functions:

resins to "polish" out inorganic ions to 18.2 megohm-cm resistivity, and the Organex-Q™ organic scavenger mixture to remove trace organics to 10 parts per billion (ppb). Because DI water typically contains higher levels of particulate/colloidal matter, microorganisms, and organics, than distilled or RO water, the QPAK purification pack for DI feed water contains an initial .5 micron (µm) prefilter to protect the other purification media.  The purification pack for RO and distilled feed water contains extra ion exchange resin instead of the prefilter; this extra resin increases the lifetime of the pack.  The QPAK purification pack can be installed quickly and easily without tools, making the system easy to maintain. There are no bowls to dean or multiple cartridges to store. A control panel light indicates when the pack is recommended to be

changed for optimum water quality. The superior system design and materials of construction eliminate extractables.  The alphanumeric display makes the Milli-Q Plus system simple to use: it allows you to easily monitor the status of the system at all times. In case of power failure, the system's battery "remembers" the current function — when power is restored, the unit will restart in the correct mode. Upon request, the contrast of the display can be adjusted.

 

Preinstallation Requirements

Before you install your new Milli-Q Biocel system, your electrical and feed water systems must meet the following requirements.

 

FEED WATER

For best results, Millipore recommends using RO feed water. However, the Milli-Q Plus system will produce ultrapure, reagent-grade water from DI, RO, or distilled feed water.

For the Milli-Q Plus system to function properly, feed water must meet the following pressure and temperature specifications:

 

• Feedwater Conductivity: < 100 μS/cm @ 25°C

• Feedwater Flowrate: The source of feedwater should deliver ≥ 1.5 LPM

• Maximum Feedwater pressure: ≤ 0.3 bar (use a Pressure Regulator if necessary)

• Minimum Feedwater Pressure: ≥ 0.0 bar (i.e. reservoir ⇔ same level as the Milli-Q)

• Feedwater temperature: Between 5°C and 35°C

 

Items to note about feedwater:

The ion exchange capacity of the Q-Gard Purification Pack and the Quantum Ultrapure Cartridge are a strong function of the conductivity and the dissolved CO2 gas level of the feedwater source. The Fouling Index (Silt Density Index) of the Feedwater, when > 5, can effect the ability of the Ion Exchange Resin to remove ions.  The TOC level of the Milli-Q Product Water could be affected by the type of feedwater.  It is highly recommended to use a feedwater source treated by RO.

 

OPERATE/STANDBY

When the system is in STANDBY, the Milli-Q Biocel system automatically recirculates water every 55 minutes for a 5-minute period. During recirculation, the display reads RECIRCUIATION. Upon request,  recirculation frequency can be changed to every 3 hours.  Each time you switch the Milli-Q  Biocel system from STANDBY to OPERATE, the system runs through an "Auto Test" sequence to test the resistivity sensing system. Test resistivity is displayed for four seconds, followed by the actual resistivity of the water in the system.  Millipore also recommends that you install an isolating valve on the inlet water line so that you can easily shut off the water supply to the system.

 

The electrical requirements for a Milli-Q Biocel are:

 

120 VAC ± 10%, 50/60 Hz, 100 VA, 0.5 amp source, 2 amp Time Lag fuse used 

 

Dimensions:

 

Height                                 495 mm (19.5 in)

Width                                  297 mm (11.7 in)

Depth                                  433 mm (17.0 in)

Shipping weight                9.3 kg (20.5 lb) (without pack)

Operating weight             15.4 kg (34.0 lb) (with pack and water)

 

 

 

I have had good success with the mini YH-333 pump available on Ebay for under $10.  Basically, I fill up a 1 or more “jerry cans” at a local supermarket and use this as a feed source.  By attaching an appropriate tube at the outlet nozzle and recirculating from the “jerry can” you can get water so pure that it will probably blister the paint off your car.  Please email for more details.