Coway Research and Development: creating Aquamega
Coway has been making water purifiers for the past 32 years. Since 1989, the company has created Carbon, Nano, UF, RO, and more types of water purifiers. The first Coway water purifier to hit the market generated a lot of buzz for its ability to supply cold, hot, and room temp water despite its compact size. The Coway Research and Development’s neverending work to deliver the freshest, cleanest, and most refreshing water resulted in the creation of Aquamega, which was released in the United States along with The One Palm last year.
With a dedicated team constantly testing and improving their products for the next generation of hygienic technology, Coway stands above the rest. Here’s a glimpse into the process behind creating their world-class water purifier.
Why drink purified water?
Jung Hwan Lee, Principal Research Engineer of Coway’s WaterCare Development, says the water quality in the US is good as a whole, but individual households can risk exposure to different harmful pollutants like rust depending on the type and age of the pipes, faucets, and showers in their homes.
“A few years ago in the US, the EPA showed that lead was present in 117 of 327 samples from 13 newly placed water pipes. While bottled water is bought, there is a possibility of contamination in the distribution process and there can be unnecessary costs to buy, carry, and store them. Since drinking water is directly linked to the health of families, Coway's water purifier is becoming more a necessity rather than a choice.”
Humans need to consume about 2 liters of water a day to maintain healthy bodily functions. Rather than drinking a lot of water at once, sipping on about 1/3 cup every 30 minutes helps boost the metabolism and ensures consistent proper hydration throughout the body.
“We hope that healthy drinking habits will help lead everyone to live a happier life.”
(left) Sun Mi Choi / Senior Research Engineer/ WaterCare Filter Development
(right) Jung Hwan Lee / Principal Research Engineer / WaterCare Development
Developing a superior water purifier
Jung Hwan Lee worked alongside Senior Research Engineer Sun Mi Choi to develop the Aquamega from an idea to a final product. Before reaching the market, every Coway product is field-tested in multiple locations and evaluated by the company’s team of 23 certified water sommeliers, WQA-Certified Water Specialists. Water purifiers vary depending on the country, water quality, water pressure, and surrounding environment.
“To make a water purifier, from planning, design, verification, production, and launching takes about a year,” says Lee. “And in order to sell in the US market, there has to be an additional 6 months to obtain certifications from the Water Quality Association according to NSF/ANSI standards.”
The Water Quality Association (WQA) issues the WQA Gold Seal to products that have past rigorous testing requirements to comply with standards of quality management.
“The direct water filter in our Aquamega 200 received the highest marks from the WQA certifications for removing substances out of all of our Coway filters,” says Choi. “Also, the Aquamega water purifier can remove 15 kinds of pollutants including residual drugs (PPCP) and endocrine-disrupting substances that are listed in the National Science Foundation 401 requirement standards.”
Drink better, live better.
Jung Hwan Lee believes Coway's philosophy is to support life and body.
“This is not just a company that makes products, but a company that cares about the health of both the environment and the customer. In Korea, there is a big need for designed UX. Lately, with the products with different functions, we look into both the taste and smell of water. We are also creating products that will be compatible with the water environments in different regions.”
Sun Mi Choi enthusiastically adds, “If it’s coming from a Coway water purifier, you can drink in confidence!”
Learn more about Aquamega here.
Disclaimers
1Coway air purifiers have been proven to trap dust, pollen, dander, viruses and bacteria in the air based on KCL (Korea Conformity Laboratories) testing.They have been tested in a 30㎥ size chamber according to the Korea Air Cleaning Association standard (SPS-KACA 002-132:2022 Modified) to measure the 0.01㎛ size of particle removal rate. It was tested on maximum airflow speed in normal room temperature and humidity conditions. The performance may vary in the actual living environment of customers.
→ Tested with Airmega Aim, 100, 150, 160, AP-1216L, AP-1512HH, AP-1512HHS, 200M, Icon, IconS, 230, 240, 250, 250 Art, 250S, 300, 300S, 400, 400S, ProX
299.97% of viruses, bacteria, fungi and pollen were verified to be removed from the air for Coway air purifiers which have Green True HEPA™ filter applied based on the Japan Food Research Laboratories(JFRL) testing according to JEM 1467 standard.
→ Tested with Coway Airmega AP-1512HH, AP-1512HHS, 250, 250 Art, 250S, 300, 300S, 400, 400S
→ All tested by JFRL and received above result within below time.
All tested by JFRL and received above result within below time.
- Virus: Tested with Escherichia coli phage ΦX174 NBRC 103405, 60 minutes
- Bacteria: Tested with Staphylococcus epidermidis NBRC 12993, 60 minutes
- Fungi/Mold: Tested with Penicillium citrinum NBRC 6352, 60 minutes
- Pollen: Tested with Cedar Pollen extract, 60 minutes
3Aerosol test conducted in a Biosafety level 3 laboratory with two Coway air purifier models, Coway Airmega 250 and 400 for removal of SARS-CoV-2 Aerosol by US based MRI Global, a not-for-profit laboratory and partner of US Department of Defense. The test was conducted in a 13.1ft3 chamber. Virus was aerosolized for 15 minutes and the product was turned on high for 2 minutes. Result showed each product effectively removed over 99.98% of the SARS-CoV-2 in 2 minutes. This is a result from a laboratory experiment condition and result may vary in different conditions. This result does not imply it kills SARS-CoV-2 or prevents the transmission of Covid-19. Coway Airmega 250S and 400S are identical to the tested models and has equal performance with an additional mobile connectivity function.
4The concentration of ammonia, acetaldehyde and acetic acid were proven to be removed within 30 minutes by FCG Research Institute, Inc. Human Life Science Lab. It is not a demonstration result in the actual use space. Not all odors and gases may be supported. → Tested with Coway Airmega 150, 160, AP-1512HH, AP-1512HHS, 400, 400S
5The coverage area of the air purifier is based on an area where the air cleaner can make two air changes per hour (ACPH). An air change per hour translates to how many times an air purifier can clean an area, assuming the height of a ceiling to be 8 ft, in one hour. Therefore ** means two air changes per hour means that the cleaner can clean the area once every 30 minutes and * means air changes per hour means that the air purifier can clean the area once every 60 minutes.
10Terms and conditions apply. Discounts, including promotions, coupons, bundle discount and subscription discount, cannot be stacked on top of other coupons. During promotional periods, discount codes will not be able to be applied to orders. Promo codes may apply to products only—filters, accessories, and new products within 3 months of the release date are not included.
