The ancient methods of water purification

People use streams, rivers, lakes and reservoirs as sources of water as well as groundwater. But these sources are not always clean.

Since antiquity, the need for clean water has led to the development of water purification methods. These methods have not eliminated the microbes that cause disease, but have served as the basis for the development of modern water purification methods. Among the ancient civilizations that developed the first water purification methods were those in Africa, Asia, India and the Middle East, and Europe.

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What exactly do we purify the water from?

It is reasonable to expect that most drinking water will contain some level of contaminants, especially since minerals such as calcium and magnesium fall into this category. The question is which of these contaminants are harmful and how much is entering my system.

Physical Contaminants – These are primarily sediments that come from rock or soil and are generally biologically harmless. However, too many large particles can be detrimental to the physiology of the body.
Chemical Contaminants – These can be natural or man-made compounds or elements such as bleach, nitrogen, pesticides, toxins, lead and mercury, drugs or industrial by-products.
Biological Contaminants – These are microorganisms that grow in water and can include bacteria, viruses and protozoa.
Radiological Contaminants – These are atomically unstable chemical elements that emit harmful radiation and may include: cesium, plutonium and uranium.

The importance of water purification

Water is the source of life. Three days without it can cause dehydration. But with the many dangers that can lurk in it, and which are invisible to the naked eye, proper precautions cannot be neglected.

The five different methods we examined all have their own strengths and weaknesses. The best approach would be to use multiple methods, which would ensure that you and your family have the cleanest water possible.

Thank you for taking the time to read our article on how to purify drinking water.

The ancient methods to purify water.

BOILING

This is the simplest and most common method of water purification. It has been used by people in the past, long before the introduction of technology, and still finds application in today’s world.

It consists of applying heat to the water and aims to remove contaminants by pushing them beyond their temperature range.

Purification by boiling simply involves killing the bacteria or viruses by heating them to death.

The procedure, method for purifying water by boiling it is very simple and easy cheap. Just heat the water in a clean container until it boils and let it boil for 5 minutes. The water is then allowed to cool down before it is consumed (hot water burns your throat).

The disadvantage is that it does not remove contaminants such as metals or other harmful chemicals. Thus, boiling is not suitable for purifying water that contains such contaminants, you should use other water purification methods to eliminate these chemicals.

8 Advantages of boiling water.

Kills certain bacteria, viruses, cysts and worms.
The simplest and easiest disinfection method to remove pathogens from water.
Removes certain microorganisms, chemicals and other components that may be present in drinking water.
Effective in destroying several categories of waterborne pathogens such as bacterial spores, fungi, protozoa.
No boiling water training is needed as long as it is boiled at the right heating temperature to kill waterborne diseases, bacteria, viruses and more.
It is safe compared to fresh tap water.
Drinking boiled water every day increases your blood circulation.
Some studies suggest that by drinking hot water, we eliminate certain deposits built up in our nervous system. These deposits are responsible for the creation of negative thoughts and emotions…

There is still much to learn about the importance of boiling water for the safety of our bodies against some major diseases that have caused discomfort in some people, especially children and adults who are vulnerable to drinking unsafe water.

Moringa Seeds: This ancient Egyptian process allows easy purification of dirty water.

According to UNICEF, 783 million people do not have access to clean and safe drinking water, which, according to the World Health Organization, leads to an estimated 1.6 million deaths each year from diarrheal and parasitic diseases.

Part of the problem is that most current methods force countries to import expensive chemicals to improve their water, limiting the amount they can afford to produce.

But what if there was an alternative? Researchers at Penn State University have studied a process used by the ancient Egyptians.

The Moringa oleifera tree grows in abundance in many tropical and subtropical regions of the world. It reaches maturity in only six months and is already used in many regions as a food source. The pods, seeds, leaves, roots and flowers are all edible and nutritious.

On top of all this, there is something in these seeds that has the ability to kill bacteria and clarify the water.

Women in ancient Egypt are said to have rubbed Moringa seeds on their clay water pots, and the dried powder from the crushed seeds has been used for hand washing for many years.

Researchers had already established that when you crush the seeds and add them to the water, a protein in the seed will kill some of the microbial organisms and cause them to clump together and settle to the bottom of the water container, clear water at the surface.

Now they’ve figured out why. The seeds actually fuse the membranes of the bacterial cells together. These membranes are the bacteria’s main protection, and this clumping disrupts the membranes, causing the cells to die.

And that’s not all. Researchers have also determined the best time to harvest the seeds, during the rainy season.

Questions remain to be resolved before the Moringa protein can be used on a large scale to purify water, but researchers say this is a key step for rural communities that need to be able to purify their own water.

The money that will be saved by using locally cultivated moringa seeds to clarify or purify water could then be used for other strategic projects, diverting the money to other infrastructure needs.

Distillation of water

Distillation is one of the oldest methods of water treatment and is still used today, but rarely as a home treatment method. It can effectively remove many contaminants from drinking water, including bacteria, inorganic substances and many organic compounds.

Please note that the treatment of distilled water at home is only considered a temporary solution. The perfect options for contaminated consuming water problems are to stop the practices that triggered the contamination or to alter the supply of the water.

Distillation is a process that relies on water evaporation to eliminate impurities from the water. The contaminated water is heated to form steam. Inorganic compounds and large non-volatile organic molecules do not evaporate with the water and are left behind, which is good for our stomach. The steam cools and then condenses to form purified water.

Distillation is the most effective method for removing inorganic compounds such as metals (iron and lead) and nitrates, hardness (calcium and magnesium) and particulate matter from a contaminated water source.

The boiling process also kills microorganisms such as bacteria and some viruses that are causing waterborne diseases. The effectiveness of distillation in eradicating natural compounds varies depending on the chemical traits of the natural compound, comparable to solubility and boiling level.

Organic compounds that boil at temperatures above the boiling point of water (some pesticides) can be effectively removed from the water. Natural organic compounds that boil at temperatures under the boiling level of water (for instance, benzene and toluene) will likely be sprayed with water. If these harmful compounds are not totally removed before condensation, they will re-contaminate the purified product-which is the water we consider potable.

Distillers generally consist of a boiling chamber where water enters, heats up and vaporizes; coils or a condensing chamber, where the water is cooled and reconverted to liquid water; and a storage tank for purified water.

Distillation units are generally installed as point-of-use systems. They are usually installed or located at the kitchen faucet or tap and used to purify water for drinking and cooking purposes exclusively. The size of the distillation unit varies according to the amount of purified water the units produce. Production rates range from 3(three) to 11 gallons of potable water per day.

Some distillation unit’s models can be fully or partially automated but expensive or manual. Some distillation units are equipped with volatile gas columns or vents to remove organic chemicals that have a lower boiling point than water, thus ensuring uncontaminated water.

Operation, maintenance and cost: Like all home water treatment systems, the distillation units require a certain level of regular maintenance to ensure proper operation. Even with regular removal or elimination of residual water containing non-evaporated contaminants, scale and magnesium will accumulate at the bottom of the boiling chamber of the distillation unit. This scale must eventually be removed, usually by hand or by application of acid.

Heating water to form steam requires energy. Because of this, the operating prices of distillation items are usually greater than those of different types of dwelling water treatment. The distillation process also removes oxygen and some trace metals from the water. Some say this leaves the water flat.

Ceramic filtration

Locally manufactured ceramic filters are traditionally used worldwide to treat household water. Currently, the most widely used ceramic filter is the Potters for Peace exterior design. The filter is shaped like a flowerpot, holds about 8-10 litres of water and fits into a plastic or ceramic container. To use the ceramic filters, families fill the top container or the ceramic filter itself with water, which flows through the ceramic filter(s) into a storage container. The treated water is then accessible through a tap integrated into the water storage container.

Laboratory efficiency, field efficiency, and health impact

The effectiveness of ceramic filters in extracting or removing bacteria, viruses, and protozoa depends on the production quality of the ceramic filter used to purify water. Most ceramic filters are effective in removing bacteria and large protozoa but not very good at eliminating viruses. Studies have shown adequate and proper elimination of bacterial pathogens in filtered water by high-quality ceramic filters. A 60-70% reduction in the incidence of diarrheal diseases has been documented among users of these water purification ceramic filters.

Studies have also shown significant bacterial contamination when poor quality ceramic filters are used, or when the container is infected at the household level. As there is no residual protection against chlorine, it is crucial that users are trained in the care and maintenance of the filter and ceramic container.

The advantages are as follows:

Proven reduction of bacteria and protozoa in drinking water
Ease of use and acceptability
Sustained reduction in the incidence of diarrheal diseases for users
Long service life if the filter remains intact
Low one-time cost

The disadvantages are as follows:

Not as effective against viruses
No residual chlorine protection – may lead to recontamination
Variable quality control for locally produced filters
Filters can break over time and may need spare parts
A low flow rate of 1 to 3 litres per hour for non-turbid water
Filters and containers should be cleaned regularly, especially after filtering cloudy water.

Ceramic water filtration is most applicable in areas where there’s a manufacturing capability for high-quality ceramic filters, a distribution community for the spare elements, and user coaching on how you can keep and use these historic filters correctly.

Charcoal, a water filter as old as time.

Activated carbon is known to be a material regularly used in water filters, and it is reputed to be particularly effective against heavy metals, bacteria, viruses and many pollutants (hormonal chemicals, pharmaceuticals, oil, etc.).

Charcoal is found in filter jugs, tap water filters, and water filters in American refrigerators.

What is less well known is that man has long used the filtration properties of coal.

Archaeologists have found evidence of the use of charcoal as a water purification material dating back to ancient Egypt! Yes, the pharaohs drank Nile water that was filtered through a water filter.

Charcoal has additionally long been utilized in historical India, in accordance with a Sanskrit textual content from the Maurya Empire – a civilization that developed greater than 300 years earlier than Christ.

In Japan, for more than 1000 years, men have used white coal to purify their water and provide it with minerals.

In the 18th century, in the western world, in the shipping industry, tanks were made of wood burned to contain water. This method of preservation kept the water fresh and safe.

But it is in 1704 that one succeeds thanks to the technique of cooking in a closed vase to produce charcoal and to activate the charcoal.

To provide activated carbon, the coal is fired at a temperature between 700 and 1000 C°; it is fired without air, but with the addition of mineral gas.

The result is coal with exceptional properties whose pore surface is the equivalent of a football field per gram of material.

Properties that make it possible to manufacture charcoal used for odour removal and sugar decolonization in refineries.

Today, activated carbon is integrated into our everyday objects, refrigerators, extractor hoods, coffee machines, dishwashers, and taps and contributes to our daily comfort and health.

Remember if you are concern about your water quality the first step is to test with portable kits like one of ours.