BIOCERA ceramic media is manufactured from carefully selected mineral-based raw materials according to the intended water-treatment function. Depending on the formulation, these materials may include:

• Calcium- and magnesium-based minerals
• Silica-based ceramic materials
• Tourmaline
• Zeolite
• Other functional mineral components

The materials are formulated, shaped and processed under controlled ceramic manufacturing conditions. Selected formulations undergo controlled high-temperature firing to create a mechanically stable ceramic structure suitable for water-contact applications.

BIOCERA media can be designed for functions including:

• Remineralization and calcium/magnesium addition
• pH adjustment and alkalinity modification
• ORP (oxidation-reduction potential) modification
• Molecular hydrogen generation (in selected formulations)
• Residual chlorine treatment
• Functional water conditioning

Detailed proprietary compositions and processing conditions are not publicly disclosed and may be shared with qualified OEM/ODM partners where appropriate.

BIOCERA’s materials-development philosophy originated from decades of work involving ceramics, crystals and advanced inorganic materials.

Beginning in the 1980s, Dr. Jeon Hyoung-Tag studied and worked with materials including silica and quartz, sapphire, cubic zirconia, advanced oxide ceramics, and various crystalline mineral systems through international technical exchanges and R&D interactions with materials specialists in the United States, France, Russia and other countries.

Core principle from crystal science: chemical composition alone does not determine material behavior. Materials can contain the same basic elements yet exhibit dramatically different physical properties depending on crystal structure and processing history.

Rather than selecting minerals by chemical name alone, BIOCERA considers multiple factors:

• Raw material selection (purity, composition)
• Crystal phase and structure
• Firing conditions (temperature, atmosphere)
• Particle structure (porosity, surface area)
• Water chemistry interaction

This systematic approach is intended to make BIOCERA media perform predictably and consistently in real-world drinking-water applications, rather than relying on chance chemical reactions. Today BIOCERA applies the same approach to functional ceramic media for remineralization, pH adjustment, mineral conditioning, ORP modification and, in selected formulations, molecular hydrogen generation.

Ceramic balls may look almost identical from the outside. Yet their behavior in water may not be identical.

Differences in raw-material purity, binders, firing temperature, porosity and formulation directly affect:

• Mechanical strength
• Dust generation
• Dissolution behavior
• pH stability
• Mineral release profile
• Taste and odor
• Turbidity
• Cartridge pressure drop
• Long-term performance

BIOCERA therefore emphasizes controlled manufacturing and verification rather than appearance alone.

BIOCERA media is primarily designed to condition already purified water. Depending on the formulation and system design, it can help:

• Introduce selected minerals
• Increase or stabilize pH
• Improve alkalinity and buffering
• Modify ORP
• Generate dissolved molecular hydrogen (in selected media)
• Improve taste and mouthfeel

BIOCERA is normally used together with primary purification technologies rather than replacing them.

Reverse osmosis removes both unwanted dissolved contaminants and most naturally occurring dissolved minerals. As a result, RO permeate often has:

• Very low mineral content
• Low alkalinity
• Low buffering capacity
• Lower pH (depending on dissolved CO₂)
• A relatively flat taste

Remineralization is the controlled addition of selected minerals after purification. BIOCERA post-RO media may be engineered to help:

• Add calcium and/or magnesium
• Increase alkalinity
• Adjust pH
• Improve taste
• Establish a more controlled finished-water chemistry

Drinking-water safety is one of BIOCERA’s core development priorities.

Nine BIOCERA ceramic media — BIOCERA BALL, AG, AO, CA, IP, PW, RC, SP and TO — are certified under the following standards:

• NSF/ANSI 42 (Drinking Water Treatment Units — Aesthetic Effects), as components conforming to material safety requirements. Public listing 3S670-01.
• NSF/ANSI/CAN 61 (Drinking Water System Components — Health Effects), for water treatment plant applications. Public listing 3S670-01.
• NSF/ANSI/CAN 372 (lead content), certified together with NSF/ANSI/CAN 61 on the same certification mark. Certificate supplied on request for the exact medium.

The listings carry defined maximum use levels per medium. The NSF/ANSI/CAN 61 listing covers water treatment plant applications and has not been evaluated for point-of-use applications, so a point-of-use cartridge using BIOCERA media may require its own evaluation against the certification your market demands.

Additional testing or compliance documentation may also be available for specific products, including restricted-substance or chemical-screening documentation where applicable.

Certification scope varies by individual product. Always confirm the current official NSF listing for the exact BIOCERA media being purchased — the listing is public and we encourage you to check it.

NSF/ANSI 42 addresses specified drinking-water treatment unit requirements within its certification scope, including aesthetic-effect applications. BIOCERA media is listed as a component conforming to material safety requirements only — it is a statement about the material, not a performance claim for a finished unit.

NSF/ANSI/CAN 61 establishes health-effects requirements for materials and components that contact drinking water, including evaluation of substances that may be imparted to the water. The BIOCERA listing is scoped to water treatment plant applications.

NSF/ANSI/CAN 372 addresses lead-content requirements for applicable drinking-water products and components. BIOCERA BALL media carries this certification together with NSF/ANSI/CAN 61; we supply the current certificate for the exact medium on request.

What a certification does not cover: it applies only to the exact product, the exact standard and the exact application scope named in the certification — and it is subject to the maximum use levels stated there. It does not extend to a finished cartridge or purifier (see the next question).

If your program requires a standard or an application scope beyond what we currently hold, tell us early. We will confirm in writing what documentation exists rather than let a scope assumption reach your compliance team late.

No. This distinction is essential.

A BIOCERA ceramic component may be certified within its applicable listing, but that does not automatically certify an entire water purifier containing that component. A finished purifier includes additional materials such as:

• Housing
• Tubing
• Fittings
• Valves
• Carbon
• Membranes
• Seals
• Tanks
• Other treatment media

Depending on the target certification, the finished product may require separate evaluation.

BIOCERA has developed multiple functional ceramic formulations for different water-treatment objectives.

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The exact function of a finished cartridge depends on the complete system rather than one ingredient alone.

Many inorganic ceramic and mineral materials emit thermal infrared radiation according to their temperature and spectral properties. BIOCERA has historically studied FIR-related properties of selected ceramic formulations as part of its broader functional ceramic research.

However, FIR characteristics should be distinguished from verified drinking-water performance parameters such as:

• pH
• TDS
• Calcium
• Magnesium
• ORP
• Dissolved hydrogen
• Residual chlorine
• Flow rate

For commercial drinking-water systems, BIOCERA recommends evaluating performance using measurable water-quality parameters rather than relying on FIR terminology alone. This gives OEM customers claims that can be independently measured and validated.

There is no universal media quantity for every cartridge. Required loading depends on cartridge size, inlet pH, inlet TDS, target pH, desired mineral increase, target ORP/H₂ where applicable, flow rate, contact time, temperature and service-life requirement.

Typical development starting points may include:

• 8-inch inline: approximately 100–150 g
• 10-inch cartridge: approximately 200–300 g
• 11–12-inch inline: approximately 300–450 g
• 20-inch commercial cartridge: approximately 800–1,500 g

For many applications, a recommended architecture is:

Raw water → Sediment / pre-filtration → Activated carbon → RO membrane → BIOCERA remineralization → Storage / post carbon → Final disinfection (if required) → Faucet

Why after RO? RO permeate provides a relatively stable, low-mineral baseline. That makes it easier to engineer final pH, mineral concentration, TDS, alkalinity, ORP and H₂. It also avoids adding remineralization minerals before the RO membrane.

Yes. In many systems, activated carbon and BIOCERA perform complementary roles. Possible configurations include activated carbon → BIOCERA, or BIOCERA → post carbon.

For cartridges containing several media types, engineering should consider:

• Density
• Particle size
• Flow distribution
• Hydraulic resistance
• Channeling
• Media migration
• Contact time

Consult BIOCERA technical support for specific multi-media designs.

Water–media interaction requires contact time. Generally, lower flow means longer contact and greater media/water interaction; higher flow means shorter contact and milder interaction.

For certain BIOCERA formulations, longer contact time may produce greater mineral addition, pH change, ORP change or H₂ generation.

But flow rate is only one factor. Actual performance also depends on water chemistry, temperature, media quantity, particle size and cartridge geometry.

Remineralizing media can increase dissolved mineral concentration, so an increase in TDS may occur.

Scale potential depends more specifically on calcium, magnesium, carbonate alkalinity, pH, temperature and concentration. For this reason BIOCERA can develop different mineralization strategies:

• Cold drinking water — taste and controlled remineralization can be prioritized.
• Hot-water and coffee applications — hardness and scaling potential require more careful control.

More minerals are not always better. The correct balance is better.

BIOCERA remineralization media should not be regarded as a universal purification technology. Treatment should be selected according to the contaminant. Examples include:

• RO membranes — many dissolved contaminants
• Activated carbon — chlorine and selected organic contaminants
• Ion-exchange and specialized adsorbents — specific dissolved ions
• UV or other validated disinfection — microbiological treatment

Certain BIOCERA formulations may provide additional specific functions, but such claims should be made only within the scope supported by appropriate testing.

Yes. As with many granular and ceramic water-treatment materials, minor fines may arise during manufacturing, transportation and cartridge filling.

New cartridges should be flushed according to the finished-product instructions until:

• Water appears clear
• Loose particles have been removed
• Trapped air has been purged

The OEM manufacturer should validate and specify the required flushing volume for the final cartridge.

Service life cannot be determined by calendar time alone. It depends on total water throughput, media quantity, flow rate, inlet water chemistry, temperature, cartridge structure, hygiene and target performance.

Useful end-of-life criteria may include changes in mineral release, pH, TDS, ORP, H₂, flow or taste. Finished-product lifetime claims should ideally be supported by actual throughput and lifecycle testing.

The cost of ceramic media is only one part of the total product cost. Uncontrolled media can potentially create much larger downstream costs through:

• Inconsistent performance
• Powder generation
• Turbidity
• Unexpected dissolution
• Taste complaints
• Scale issues
• Cartridge blockage
• Certification difficulties
• Product returns
• Brand damage

BIOCERA therefore concentrates on four pillars:

• Materials-science experience — decades of work in ceramics, minerals and crystalline materials.
• Controlled manufacturing — repeatable material processing designed for consistent water interaction.
• Safety-oriented verification — applicable internationally recognized drinking-water component certification and testing.
• Application engineering — media selected and optimized according to actual water chemistry, cartridge design and customer performance targets.

BIOCERA’s goal is not to become the cheapest source of ceramic balls, but to help customers build safer, more predictable and more commercially reliable water products.

Even when certified components are used, BIOCERA recommends validating the complete finished cartridge.

Water chemistry: pH, TDS, alkalinity, hardness, calcium, magnesium, ORP, dissolved H₂ where claimed.

Hydraulic performance: flow rate, pressure drop, leakage, burst pressure, cyclic pressure.

Lifetime performance: total treated volume, continuous-flow testing, intermittent-use testing, aging and storage behavior.

Safety and hygiene: applicable extraction testing, heavy-metal migration, microbiological evaluation, local regulatory requirements.

Consumer experience: taste, odor, clarity, initial flushing, long-term water storage where applicable.

Authorized OEM partners using genuine BIOCERA media may be permitted to use approved wording such as “Powered by BIOCERA Ceramic Media.”

Use of the BIOCERA trademark is subject to BIOCERA’s applicable authorization or branding agreement. This helps customers differentiate authentic BIOCERA media from imitation or unverified ceramic products.

Not automatically. NSF certification and use of NSF marks are tied to the specific certified product or component and its official certification scope.

An OEM should not imply that its complete purifier is NSF certified merely because it contains an NSF-certified internal component. The finished system may require its own evaluation and certification.

BIOCERA can provide applicable certification documentation to help OEM partners prepare accurate technical and regulatory communications.

BIOCERA supports qualified OEM/ODM projects throughout product development. Support may include:

• Ceramic media selection
• Media combination recommendations
• Cartridge loading guidance
• pH/TDS optimization
• ORP/H₂ optimization where applicable
• Flow and contact-time evaluation
• Technical samples
• SDS documentation
• Available COA documentation
• Applicable certification documentation
• Pilot testing
• Technical troubleshooting

For faster development, customers should provide inlet-water analysis, target-water specifications, cartridge dimensions, flow rate, daily water usage and target service life. BIOCERA can then recommend an appropriate starting configuration for evaluation.

A ceramic ball may appear simple. The science behind reliable water-contact ceramics is not.

Decades of materials & crystal research → Raw-material selection → Composition & ceramic formulation → Controlled thermal processing → Physical & crystal structure → Drinking-water safety verification → Controlled water interaction → Cartridge engineering → Lifecycle validation → Reliable finished-water performance

Our commitment: purify first, remineralize intelligently, engineer for the actual water, validate scientifically, and put drinking-water safety first.

BIOCERA is dedicated to advancing water-treatment technology through rigorous materials science, controlled manufacturing, and safety-oriented verification. We partner with OEM customers worldwide to develop ceramic media solutions that deliver predictable performance, consumer confidence, and commercial reliability in drinking-water systems.