To simplify, we can define water conductivity as the ability of a liquid to carry an electrical current.

The conductivity value is affected by the content of ions within water. We could generally say that the greater is the content of ions (or of ionic charge), the higher is water conductivity.

In Ceramics, why is it important to constantly check the values of water conductivity?

Waters marked by high conductivity may lead to application problems.

For example, they may improperly act on the viscosity of the slurry or of the glaze.

In some cases, the conductivity reaches such high levels that it is necessary to add more water to suspensions in order to properly develop the process, negatively affecting both productivity and environment.

In fact, the increase of water content reduces the solid rate within the suspension, leading – during atomization – to a lower hourly production of spray-dried powder. The lower hourly production, together with the higher amount of water lead in turns to a more important energy cost, also promoting a higher production of carbon dioxide: the higher amount of water that needs to evaporate may produce higher emissions.