Stefani Water Purifiers: an Alternative to Plastic
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 05. 1.07
We have been nervous about our Loblaws knockoff Brita-style water filter, made of polycarbonate. There is concern about leaching of Bisphenol A from this plastic and we let the water sit in it all day. While the science on Bisphenol A is far from certain, (against and for) we are trying to err on the safety side and get rid of it wherever possible.
Thus we were impressed by the terra cotta water purifiers made in Brazil by Ceramica Stefani, seen at the Green Living Show. The terra cotta keeps the water cool; they are made by local artisans.
They are "Equipped with Dechlorinating and Sterilizing purifying elements based on the Doulton technology (with colloidal silver and activated charcoal made from coconut shells) eliminates water impurities, fungi, bacteria, micro-organisms, harmful chemicals and efficiently improves water taste". (more info below the fold) made by ::Ceramica Stefani and imported to Canada by ::Lifespices.com, starting at C$ 99.00, and in Australia at ::Stefani. I can't find any Stefani in the States other than Gwen, maybe she sells them.
The Stefani Purification System
The water passes through the micro-porous ceramic element which removes 99% of suspended solids and more than 99% of parasites and cysts. This water is purified at a flow rate of up to ¼ gallon (1 liter) per hour per filter (ceramic element).
The dechlorinating and sterilizing ceramic element is internally coated with colloidal silver, to reduce fungus, bacteria and microorganisms., and makes water safer to drink or use in cooking.
The micro-pores of the ceramic filter wall remove solid impurities of up to 0.5 microns (2000 times smaller than a sand grain!) and the activated charcoal present inside the filtering element guarantees efficiency in eliminating harmful chemicals and unpleasant tastes and odors (usually caused by chemicals added to the water, such as heavy doses of chlorine), and generally improving water quality.
CERTIFIED FILTERING CAPABILITIES
Stefani water filters remove and reduce the following impurities and contaminants as tested by leading International Laboratories:
* 99.8% Bacteria
* 99.9% Amoeba
* 98.5% Chlorine
* 99.4% Iron
* 99.7% Copper
* 99.6% Lead
* 99.4% Zinc
* 94.5% Aluminum
* 87.0% Lindane
* 92.0% Dieldrine
* 93.0% Chloroform
* 95.0% Dichlorobromomethane
* 93.0% Dibromochloromethane
* 97.0% Bromoform
What is Terracotta and Why Use It?
Terra cotta is fired red porous clay with an unglazed surface used in sculpture and pottery.
Terra means earth. Some samples found along the River Nile are dated back close to 10,000 BC. It has been utilized by Egyptians, Chinese, Greeks, Japanese and ancient Romans.
Terra cotta has been used throughout history for sculpture and pottery, as well as bricks and roof shingles. In ancient times, the first clay sculptures were dried (baked) in the sun after being formed. Later, they were placed in the ashes of open hearths to harden, and finally kilns were used, similar to those used for pottery today.
However only after firing to a high temperature is it classified as a ceramic material. We use terra cotta in water filters because it’s well known for evaporating properties that keep water naturally fresh and cool – about 10 to 15.degrees Fahrenheit below ambient temperatures.
Fired terra cotta clay is the only material we know of that doesn’t change with time and resists corrosion and disintegration.
So wait, if it doesn't change with time it's not biodegradable? ;-)
We are an authorized Ceramica Stefani distributor located in Florida, usa. Please visit our webpage- www.stefaniterracotta.com to view the Stefani water filters and purifiers we have in stock. We can accept and ship orders to US states.
We have convinient online payment options including payment and major credit cards such as Visa, Mastercard and American Express.
If you have any questions, please email us (stefaniterracotta@yahoo.com) or call us tool free at 1-800-253-8113. Thank you.
Stefani Terracotta
StefaniTerracotta.com
Hi, Llyod it was great meeting you at the Green Living Show and thanks for the article! Our marketplace is online now at www.lifespices.com/marketlace where we offer 3 styles of Stefani Water Purifiers with varying capacities. Also available is the story behind the product at http://lifespices.com/lifespices-news/finding-stefani-water-purifiers-in-jaboticabal-sao-paolo/ (sorry for the long url)
We also just launched a new artist , Barbara Taylor, who makes clay wine cups, we are running a contest that requires no purchase in time for Father's Day.
Barbara Taylor shares some good old wisdom on the properties of clay vessels used for drinking. Her journey with clay is also captured in a video available on the website at www.lifespices.com.
Enjoy!
Indra
Founder: www.lifespices.com
Hello Treehugger People,
We are proud to announce we are working with Indra @ Lifespices to bring the great Stefani filtration products to the States.
Stefani is great for 3 wonderful reasons:
1) it has has great filtration function
2) it has has an artistic flair
3) it is the perfect green vessel for your blue h2o
Just check out our full line of Stefani Filtration products @ http://www.WaterCheck.biz.
Tell em that WaterMan sent you.
Truly,
Leslie 'WaterMan' Gabriel, H2O Ambassador
www.WaterCheck.biz
PS we support h2o causes around the globe.
I have bought this purifier with a real wish for it to work, I loved the terracotta concept, and the design is beautiful. unfortunately I have to report back and say it’s a great concept, but it’s not a good product…
Although the water comes out tasting absolutely great and beautifully chilled, it takes literally hours for them to filter, in addition, the stream from the faucet is painfully slow, so it takes way too long to fill out a glass of water.
The color that covers the terracotta started peeling 2 days after I got the product (the weak point was the friction of the top and bottom pieces) and the water level was reflected by a distinct darkening shade on the outside of the tank…
So sorry folks, I would go elsewhere for my purifying needs.
Another good feature is the ability to keep your water cooler longer than an RO tank. The terra cotta clay keeps water cool similar to the way the African pottery system keeps water to be cool--without the benefit of an electricity.
Sounds good EXCEPT if you live in a town that has fluoride in the water. Fluoride is very hard to filter out and I wonder if this company has any plans to create an extra filter for this purpose.