Water Purifying Techniques

Purified water has two major benefits. Consuming purified water is healthier for your body, as it does not contain many of the contaminants that are in non-purified water. Additionally, many people believe purified water tastes better, whether consumed alone or in coffee, tea, or other beverages and foods. There are several ways in which water can be purified.

Boiling

The easiest way to purify water is simply to boil it. According to the Washington State Department of Health, boiling is also the safest way to purify water. It’s important to bring it to a rolling boil in order to fully purify it. Note that while the Washington State Department of Health recommends boiling water, some people claim that boiling is unnecessary to purify water. According to the authors of The International Travel Health Guide, heating water for two minutes at 149 degrees or 20 minutes at 113 degrees is sufficient to achieve purification.

Reverse Osmosis

Reverse osmosis can be used to effectively remove natural and unnatural substances that cause water sources to be unhealthy or undesirable, according to water quality experts at North Dakota State University. Reverse osmosis is a form of filtration that works by filtering out compounds that are larger than water molecules. Additionally, many reverse osmosis techniques involve applying an electrical charge which helps to reject certain chemicals. The major disadvantage of using reverse osmosis to purify water is that reverse osmosis techniques use a lot of water. According to the water quality experts at North Dakota State University, reverse osmosis units recover between 5 to 15 percent of water entering the system. The remaining water is discharged as waste water. To put this in perspective, a reverse osmosis unit delivering five gallons of purified water per day will discharge roughly 40 to 90 gallons of waste water per day.

Crystalline Iodine

Crystalline Iodine can be used to purify water, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This is done by making a crystalline iodine solution and adding it to water. To make this solution, put 4g to 8g of crystalline iodine into a 1-oz. to 2-oz. container and fill the container with water. The bottle should then be shaken and then left still for several minutes so that the iodine can dissolve. Note that some crystals will always be visible. This solution is then added to the water to be treated–about 13 ml of the solution per liter of water. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warn that 4g to 8g of crystalline iodine can be lethal if swallowed in a single dose. Thus, this product should be kept out of the reach of children.