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Demineralization is the removal of minerals from a liquid or living tissue, such as bone or tooth enamel. Desalination is the most common form of demineralization, used to remove salt from seawater. Water softeners and other processes can also remove minerals from water. Osteoporosis and acidic foods can cause demineralization in human tissue.
Demineralization is the removal of minerals, particularly mineral salts, from a liquid, usually water. The term also applies to the process of removing minerals or mineral salts from living tissue, especially bone. Tissue demineralization is usually the result of a serious medical condition or disease.
When referring to the removal of minerals or salts from water, demineralization most often involves the process of desalination. However, any process that removes minerals or mineral salts from any liquid is technically demineralization. Cooks can actually demineralize a soup or broth by adding whole potatoes to boiling liquid. The potatoes absorb the salt from the liquid.
Water softeners are devices that remove certain minerals from water, such as calcium and magnesium. They perform this function by replacing the calcium and magnesium atoms with sodium ions with the help of a catalyst. This is not strictly demineralization, although it is sometimes called one. Other processes involving the use of ions to remove minerals from water can produce nearly pure water with no dissolved minerals. Water treatment plants often use this process to remove harmful minerals from the water.
Desalination is by far the most common and most important type of demineralization process. This process is used to remove salt from water, usually seawater. The result is fresh water, which can be used for drinking, farming, or any other use for which salt water is not suitable. This process is often employed by seagoing vessels to continuously supply a source of fresh water. Countries with a lack of fresh water supplies use massive desalination plants to produce millions of gallons of fresh water from seawater.
When used to describe the loss of minerals from living tissue such as bone or tooth enamel, demineralization is usually the result of a serious condition or disease. Osteoporosis is the most common cause of demineralization in human tissue and causes bones to gradually lose the minerals that make up an important part of their structure. Calcium, phosphorus and other minerals are slowly depleted from bones, making them brittle and weak.
Tooth enamel is also sometimes affected by mineral loss. This is usually due to exposure to highly acidic foods or liquids or the action of acid-producing oral bacteria. Some diseases can also cause tooth enamel to lose or degrade. This loss of the major mineral in tooth enamel, hydroxyapatite, rarely significantly reduces the strength of the enamel, but rather makes it less able to protect the underlying sensitive tissue and nerves, which can make teeth very sensitive to hot foods or liquids. or cold.
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