James Allison wrote: > You said: > > Any atoms of silver which accumulate on the electrode while > it is negative which might cause silver sludge in a DC > process is immediately sent back into the water as a colloid > on the next half cycleas well. > > Why do you think that sludge is formed? > > And I say: > > Hey, I prefaced that whole thing by stating that it was an "opinion". > But I've said it before, and I'll say it again... > > <----- begin rant -----> > > "In an AC powered operation as some others are promoting, where the > polarity is constantly switched, other undesirable things may happen; > it is known that in all electro-colloidal silver generating processes, > some charge stripping of silver ions does occur as they come in > contact with the cathode, resulting in their gaining electrons, and > the resulting reduction to atomic silver particles (without the charge > that is said to produce the pathogen disabling effect.) In a DC > system, these reduced metallic particles remain as a grayish 'sludge' > buildup on the surface of the cathode, and eventually are very visible > at higher current levels. In a system where the polarity is switched > constantly, this sludge is propelled and dispersed back into the water > continuously, as evidenced by the 'clean electrodes' spoken of. > > When the positively charged silver particles contact the cathode they > gain electrons and become plain old silver again. That is what the > electrode is made of in the first place. Why would the silver get > propelled off? It has no charge, thus has no force from the electric > potential to propel it off as large particles. Instead, it simple > becomes part of the silver of the cathode, to be emitted as a colloid > when it becomes the anode, which involves stripping the electrons off > again. No sludge is formed. > > Mechanical effects of redispersal of plated out silver "sludge" from > the cathode will occur at higher concentrations and especially at > higher currents, especially if AC is used, resulting in much coarser, > uncharged metallic silver particles than may be desired floating about > in your product. > > I still see no way that sludge would be formed. Within 1 cycle of a > silver particle getting deposited onto the cathode and gaining an > electron, it will become the anode, and the atom will lose an electron > or more, become positive, and go out into the water as a Colloidal > suspension. This is no different than any other atom of silver on the > electrode. Sludge is formed by particles accumulating on the cathode > and coalescing, or silver being oxidized on the cathode until they > become so big they fall off from the gravity. Reversal takes place so > quickly particle size can never build up sufficient for the particle > to fall off from gravity. They simply go back out atom by atom, to > become colloid, just like any of the atoms on the silver anode do. > > Filtering with good lab quality filter media may be able to remove > some of this "non-ionic" silver; settling of most of the really larger > particle "clumps" might also occur within 72 hours, I'd estimate, if > the particles are not too fine. > > I get no settling even after a week. I have never seen any sludge in > my HVAC setup, and theoretically I can see no way it can occur. > > I guess the question is this; are the positively charged colloidal > silver ions, (as produced in a DC process), what you want in your > product, or do you want non-charged 'non-ionic' metallic silver > particles, as produced in the AC processes? > > Huh? If they are non-charged and non-ionic they would fall out of > suspension rapidly. They do not. Both DC and AC methods produce > identical CS off the anode. The difference is on the cathode. In the > DC method the silver collects, forms large particles, or react with O, > and eventually falls off as sludge, in the AC process, they go back > out as charged atoms of silver again, just like any of the electrode > would. > > I don't know where you are getting this non-charged idea from, but it > is wrong. > > From what I have researched and what I understand at this time, I'd > stay with Dr. Becker's recommendations myself, and try to produce the > positively charged Colloidal Silver Ions with a DC process. > > Electricity is electricity. When the ions leave the electrode they > are charged. There is no way the ion knows that the anode will become > a cathode later and thus decides to not be charged. > > [To summarize this for the technically inclined] please consider > carefully that, just as positively charged silver ions are generated > into the system at the anode, they are attracted to the negatively > charged cathode. Many stay in the colloidal suspension, but as the > concentration of silver ions build up, and the current flow through > the system increases, more and more silver ions are drawn to, and come > in contact with the cathode. When they do this, they are stripped of > their positive charge, and 'plate out' on the surface of the cathode > as a visible 'sludge', but do not bond to the surface structure - they > accumulate as larger groups of loosely bonded, uncharged silver > particles. If what I understand Dr. Becker and others to be saying is > true, these uncharged silver particles, what I refer to as the 'silver > sludge' formed at the cathode, should be removed if possible from your > finished product. > > They can be removed and thrown away. That is a waste. Or, since they > are pure silver, they can generate CS if the polarity is reversed. > The same thing happens on LVDC, if you switch polarity every few > minutes from what I have read here, no sludge. > > Using a DC power source, with no polarity reversal, is my strong > recommendation (and that of many others) for predictably generating > positively charged colloidal silver particles (biologically active > silver ions) in your product, while controlling silver 'sludge' > dispersal problems. > > If there is no sludge, then there are no dispersal problems. If the > CS stays in suspension, then the particles MUST be positively charged > and thus biologically active.
Marshall
