There are a number of methods of obtaining clean drinking water. They range from methods you can use at home to produce a single jug of clean water, taking tap water from the faucet all the way up to massive industrial operations making clean water from sewage or the ocean’s salt water. The three main ways are Carbon Filtration, Reverse Osmosis and a Water Distiller.

Carbon Filtration

If you have watched documentaries from either of the World Wars you are probably familiar with the chemical attacks that were used (now thankfully banned by the Geneva Convention.) When a gas attack was imminent the soldiers put on gas mask with a small tank at the front that the air passed through. These gas masks work using the same process that some water filtration systems use; carbon filtration. Activated carbon is a chemical compound that is very porous and has a high surface area. Using its adsorption properties when impure water or air is passed over it the porous areas of the activated carbon scrubs the unwanted properties from the water. The little holes are latched onto and the impurities are driven in there, leaving clean water. Activated carbon is also used in a medical setting to treat poisonings and overdoses, where it absorbs the undesired substance from the body. The problem with carbon filtration is that eventually the activated carbon is used up and needs to be replaced.

Reverse Osmosis

Osmosis is a process where two liquids try to find equilibrium between their two chemical states. When one liquid is placed next to another with a semi-permeable barrier between them the chemical solute (the chemical being held by the liquid) is passed between the two so that the liquid ends up containing the same solute. Reverse osmosis turns this process backwards. By pressurising one of the liquids it can push the liquids out of equilibrium, where one liquid will contain all the chemical solute and the other will be free of it. Outside of industrial settings problems come from the disposal of the unneeded solution and the amount and size of equipment needed to pressurise the liquid. Reverse Osmosis units will often take up an entire cupboard in a household setting.

Water has no calories, no sugar, no fat – in fact, if you use a water distiller it won’t add to your waistline, rot your teeth or make you feel jittery.

So, remember the Department of Health’s advice and take around six 200ml or eight 150ml glasses of water a day and you’ll soon be feeling on top of the world.

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