Why do we need water purification?

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Why Do We Need Water Purification?
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• Today, we call ourselves highly developed and
  with the growth of industrial sector pollution
  has growth to a whole new level. Huge amount of
  pollution leads to contamination and contaminated
  water leads to diseases. So now the question here
  is can the old basic filtration methods still
  produce the best drinking water or we need
  something else? Are more intense purification
  methods to combat the modern contaminants in our
  water supply needed?
• The answers to these questions could be found by
  analyzing and comparing the traditional and
  modern water filtration methods.

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Traditional Water Filtration Methods

• Boiling

From ancient times, boiling is what has been used
to disinfect water from microorganisms. In fact,
when done correctly, it can kill most bacteria,
but not all. Bacteria and protozoa are killed at
the first bubble, and it takes about three
minutes to kill the rest. However there are a
few drawbacks here.
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• It can require lots of fuel and cooking
  equipment.
• Water cannot be used immediately, as it needs to
  cool down.
• Since the boiling water is so hot, some of the
  water may evaporate before its use.
• The water can still contain particles. So further
  filtering through a handkerchief could be
  necessary.
• Finally, boiling water does not eliminate
  chemical pollutants (including chlorine), poor
  taste of foul odors, and in fact can leave a
  stale taste.

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Chemical
There are two primary chemicals used to purify
water iodine and chlorine. Both these chemicals
are lightweight, low cost and easy to use. Iodine
has been proven effective in killing off viruses,
bacteria and protozoa. However, the colder the
water is, the more time it will take to purify
with iodine. Iodine can also absorb into the dirt
and debris naturally found in water, so the
dosage will always vary. Also, pregnant women or
those with thyroid conditions cannot not drink
water with the chemical. Usually, iodine is just
used for short-term purposes, and should not be
used for more than three consecutive months. Also
it leaves a taste behind that is not favored by
many.
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• Chlorine bleach is the second chemical purifier.
  The process of chlorination causes dirt and
  debris to settle to the bottom of the water
  container and making the water visually clearer.
  When using bleach to purify, it is recommended
  that one adds 16 drops of bleach per gallon of
  water, stir, and let stand for 30 minutes. If the
  water does not have a slight bleach odor, one
  needs to repeat the dosage and let stand another
  15 minutes. There are many drawbacks to the
  chlorination method. If the household bleach is
  over six months old, it may not have enough
  potency to disinfect. Also, chlorine is very
  poisonous and adding too much can cause illness,
  internal organ damage or even death. Chlorine has
  been linked to many health problems. Also, if one
  decides to use bleach, be sure to add it at the
  time intended to use the water, not when storing.
• Seeing the drawbacks of these traditional
  filtration methods brings us to understand why
  more advanced water purification are required
  nowadays.

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Advanced Modern Water Purification Methods

• Water filtration by definition simply means to
  strain out the impurities from a water source.
  It is believed that larger the impurity
  particulate, the easier it is to filter. However,
  the truth is the smaller the impurity
  particulate, the harder it is to remove. Thus,
  the size of the filter pore and the durability of
  the filtering element are important to the
  filter's longevity and its ability to perform.
  Most filtering elements are made of ceramic,
  glass fiber, hard-block carbon, or materials that
  resemble compressed surgical paper.

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• Reverse osmosis is highly effective in removing
  several impurities from water such as total
  dissolved solids, turbidity, asbestos, lead and
  other toxic heavy metals, radium, and many
  dissolved organic. The process also removes
  chlorine, and nuclear radiation such as
  radioactive plutonium or strontium in the
  drinking water.
• Therefore, reverse osmosis combined with
  activated carbon seems to be the most advanced
  water purification method developed till date.

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