Carbonators to make tap water sparkling are a useful tool to ingest fewer microplastics, reduce waste from single-use plastic bottles and save money. The French consumer magazine ’60 Millions de Consommateurs’ dedicates a comparison between seven models, also available in Italy. (1)
DIY bubbles
Consumption of bottled mineral water, almost always in PET, is often dictated by the search for bubbles, more or less intense. A similar taste, when you are certain of the healthiness of the water that flows from the taps, can also be easily obtained with a small domestic ‘carbonator’.
The ‘carbonation’ of water occurs by adding food grade carbon dioxide (CO2) to the water, contained in a special cartridge inserted into the appliance. And it is possible to modulate the quantity of gas, to vary the degree of effervescence (from the ‘Ferrarelle’ to the ‘Perrier’ style).
Tap water carbonators, seven in comparison
To choose the appliance ideal, the comparison conducted by the experts of ’60 Millions de Consommateurs’ on seven models of carbonators from the major manufacturers is useful, namely
– Soda Stream (Terra and Duo models, both in Promo Pack),
– Aarke (Carbonator 3)
– Mysoda (Woody)
– Philips (GoZero)
– Carrefour (Machine à eau pétillante), not available in Italian stores,
– Brita (SodaONE).
The parameters to compare
The parameters most important rated by the French consumer magazine are
– autonomy of the CO2 cartridge. The value declared by the manufacturer does not always correspond to the real one. For the 7 models, a duration of 60 liters is always indicated. The tests instead showed that – at the maximum level of effervescence – only the Sodastream brand comes close to this level. In the other devices the autonomy of the gas cartridge varied between 40 liters of the Philips and 46 of the MySoda
– dimensions of the appliance. The size of the carbonator can vary significantly. Among the models compared, they range from a minimum of 252 cm2 (42,5×19,5×13) of the Sodastream Terra model to 429 cm2 of the Aarke (41 x 26 x 16.5)
– insertion of the gas cartridge. On almost all of the devices examined, the cartridge screws on. The disadvantage is that this mode is a bit awkward and requires you to turn the device upside down. The advantage is that all screw cartridges have the same pitch, so it is not necessary to buy from just one brand and you can save money. The two Sodastream carbonators examined instead share a clip-on gas cartridge attachment system (Quick Connect), which forces them to supply from the same manufacturer. Other Sodastream carbonators also use the screw cartridge.
Condemned to drink from plastic?
An unpleasant appearance is that the carbonators are always supplied with plastic bottles, specifically in PET (polyethylene terephthalate), declared BPA-free (bisphenol A, a toxic substance we have mentioned). (2) Such bottles are marked with an expiration date (one to two years, usually) to mitigate chemical migration associated with material degradation.
The degradability of plastic it is moreover one of the causes of serious environmental pollution from microplastics, so widespread – now everywhere – that they have even penetrated the human organism (lungs, arteries, placenta) and are classified as a new cardiovascular risk factor. (3)
Only exception, among the seven models in question, is the Sodastream Duo model, for which a glass bottle is also supplied, a material that does not release contaminants, durable and easily infinitely recyclable. (4)
The use of bottles
Inserting the bottle in the carbonator it is inserted in the Sodastream models, screw-in in the others. The mechanism of Brita, Philips and Aarke appliances is considered less practical.
Remember that PET bottles cannot be washed in the dishwasher, with the exception of Sodastream ones.
Once filled they must be stored away from light and heat, ideally in the refrigerator, for no more than a couple of days.
The quality of the bubbles
The effect generated in water from carbonators is generally satisfactory.
Lovers of very sparkling water know that the jury of the French monthly magazine considered the water treated with the Aarke, Sodastream Terra and Philips carbonators to be more similar to Perrier:
‘They offer maximum sparklingness with a good quantity and persistence of bubbles in the mouth‘.
Less appreciated the one fueled with Carrefour and Brita machines.
Accounts in hand
Economic convenience of the domestic production of sparkling water is certain. The cost per liter ranges from €0,22 with Sodastream Terra to €0,32 with Philips GoZero (which allows you to make just 40 liters of sparkling water with one gas cartridge).
The ‘imitated’ water, Perrier costs as much as €0,70/l, two to three times the domestic one.
In the calculation the cost of tap water (around 0,004 euros per liter in France) and the depreciation of the appliance are not considered.
Payback times of the carbonator
Recovery times of the investment depend on the price of the machine and how much water is treated. It turns out that, compared to purchasing bottles of Perrier,
– Carrefour, the cheapest carbonator of the seven (for now unobtainable in Italy), is amortized after the production of 115 liters of water,
– MySoda Woody after 161 litres,
– Sodastream Terra and Brita SodaOne after 172 litres,
– Philips GoZero after 205,
– Sodastream Duo after 222 litres.
– Carbonator 3 from Aarke after 559 liters of water. This machine, in fact, is the most expensive and is sold without a gas cartridge, which costs around 30 euros.
The use of carbonators it also requires replacing the cartridge when it runs out, the cost of which is around 30 euros for a new product and about half that to refill the empty one.
Marta Strinati
Footnotes
(1) See 60 Millions de Consumers https://www.60millions-mag.com/
(2) Dario Dongo, Giulia Pietrollini. Toxicity of bisphenol A, EFSA declares a public health alarm. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 26.4.23
(3) Marta Strinati. Microplastics, a new cardiovascular risk factor. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 11.3.24
(4) Marta Strinati. Glass packaging, champion of sustainability and resilience. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 13.4.22
Professional journalist since January 1995, he has worked for newspapers (Il Messaggero, Paese Sera, La Stampa) and periodicals (NumeroUno, Il Salvagente). She is the author of journalistic surveys on food, she has published the book "Reading labels to know what we eat".
