what are the different types of water purification?
596391
There are many different ways to make questionable water drinkable.\n\nBoiling- Bring it to a rolling boil (might want to leave it for 2 minutes just to be sure)\n\nChemical treatment- Outdoor stores carry products, follow package instructions\n\nFiltration- Water filters don't usually filter out virus' so chemical treatment is usually still needed\n\nUV light treatment- Special Lights are now on the market that can treat water in short time (See: http://www.bentgear.com/product_info.php?cPath=21_53_54&products_id=385)\n\nThere are other but not as common methods such as a machine that can produce chemicals that kill bacteria. \nHope I helped!
631550
I am so glad you have educated yourself. Fluoride is poison! Most standard purifiers only remove the taste of fluoride, not actually the fluoride. If you really want to know that your water is safe check into reverse osmosis systems that you can install directly into your house, or have water delivered that is reverse osmosis. Most major metropolitan areas have options for home delivery water.
997454
Desalination or Desalinization refers to any of several processes that remove the excess salt and other minerals from water in order to obtain fresh water suitable for animal consumption or irrigation, and if almost all of the salt is removed, for human consumption.\n\n\nMethods\n1) Distillation \nMulti-Stage Flash (MSF) \nMultiple-Effect (MED|ME) \nVapor Compression (VC) \nEvaporation/Condensation \n\n2) Membrane Processes \nElectrodialysis Reversal (EDR) \nReverse osmosis (RO) \nNanofiltration (NF) \nForward osmosis (FO) \n\n3) Freezing \n4) Membrane Distillation \n5) Geothermal \n6) Solar Humidification (HDH,MEH) \n7) Ethane Hydrate Crystallisation \n8) High grade water recycling
482794
I know of at least 4 ways.  I think that the distillation or membrane separation are the most practical.\n\n(1)Distillation\nOxygen and nitrogen have different boiling points.\noxygen: 90 K\nnitrogen: 77 K\nIf you cool the mixture to a temperature between the boiling points of each you will be in a two-phase region.  There will be a gas phase rich in nitrogen (because it has a lower boiling point) and a liquid phase rich in oxygen.  A distillation column can be used to separate the phases and collect them in a continuous, pretty efficient process.  I think you have to do something special about the argon in air when you do this (like have more than one separation step, more than one distillation column).\n\n(2)Adsorption\nOxygen and nitrogen gases may adsorb to (stick to) the surfaces of certain compounds (like metal surfaces).  If you make a series of tubes lined with a substance that preferentially adsorbs (for example) oxygen, you will get a gas output that has less oxygen in it.  In a well-designed case, the adsorption is reversible.  Increasing the temperature of the substance will causes the oxygen to leave the solid surface and once again become a gas, giving you a relatively pure oxygen stream.  If the purity is not good enough, you can collect the streams and repeat the process (use a longer tube).  I don't know of an example of an adsorption material off-hand.\n\n(3)Stripping\nStripping is the process of passing a gas through a liquid and may involve chemically removing one of the components of the gas.  If you bubbled air through a liquid that had a chemical in it that reacted with oxygen to form a compound then the gas that reaches the top will be nitrogen-rich.  For example, your blood contains hemoglobin, so that when it is in contact with the air in your lungs the oxygen sticks to the hemoglobin, forming a chemical complex.  This is a lot more effective than limiting yourself to an oxygen supply based on whatever gases can dissolve in your blood. \n\n(4)Membrane Separation\nOxygen and nitrogen have different permeability in membranes.  They can diffuse through solids, but at different rates.  I think oxygen typically has high permeability.  If you pressurize the gas mixture and pass the gases through a bundle of tubes (high surface area is key) then some gas will pass through the tubes axially and some will diffuse through the walls radially.  The stream that passed through the tubes will be richer in nitrogen, since it is less permeable.  The stream that diffused through the walls of the tube will be richer in oxygen, becuase it is more permeable.  Repeat the process to get the desired purity.\n\nAn artificial lung can be made by passing blood through a long set of tubes that have oxygen on the outside of the tubes.  The oxygen diffuses into the blood through the permeable tubes.
219830
1. The EPA has set maximum amounts of contaminents for drinking water. here is a table http://www.water-research.net/standards.htm\n\n2. You could use ultra-violet, this works well, also ozination.\n\n3. A gallon jug of household bleach down the well casing usually does the job. After dumping the bleach in, run water at every spigot in the house until you smell bleach. shut water off and let sit for 12 hours, then run water until color is clear and smell has dissipated.\n\n4> ?
245981
Activated charcoal is black and certain grades of it are actually used to purify drinking water.  I believe it may come in granules.  Anything black will absorb more solar radiation than a lighter material.  Good luck.
444550
The difference in solubility of the components allows for separation.  I don't remember the specifics, but that is the reason.  Water will not have a big enough difference.
612291
Drano Max!\nor drop some sand into the pipes ans flush it out wit powerfull water!
863625
Oxygen, Carbon Dioxide, and Water
738985
physical methods of separation; distillation, filtration, centrifugation, etc.\nChemical methods: sublimation, crystallization,  chromatography (actually, a combination of the chemical properties of the solubilty of the item in solution, and physical separation of stubstances via filter paper)
627957
taking the hard minerals out of the water and making it cleaner
460625
1.  algal bloom\n2.  cellular slime mold\n3.  plasmodial slime mold\n\nCheers!
195474
A number of stages is necessary:\n\n1. Filtration - To remove particles, can be any filter.\n2. Odor removal - Use charcoal\n3. Ultraviolet treatment - To kill most germs\n4. Reverse osmosis
460809
If you own a single family (domestic) well, it is recommended that you test your water every three years for nitrates; more often if you live in an area with a history of high nitrate levels or if someone in your home is at risk from nitrate contamination. \n\n Reverse osmosis, ion exchange and distillation units could conceivably provide home treatment for removing nitrates from water, but those processes can be complicated, expensive, and generally require routine maintenance. Activated carbon and other simple filters do not remove nitrates to any significant degree. Home treatment units are generally not recommended, particularly as a permanent solution to assure nitrate-free water for infant use.
942603
1. underground water has more than river bed among it's sources. Other sources could be more polluted.\n\n2. Water, as it percolates through the rocks/sand etc dissolves/ leaches part of the salts/ compounds present in them.\n\n3. The water bearing strata itself could be made up of leach-able rocks\n\nNow. purifying it to potable standards:\na. let it stand for a while- undissolved solids likely to settle down\nb. pass it thru an alum bed- and allow moresettling down: more undissoved solids, conductive salts, calcium salts turbidity agents removed\nc. now, pass thru ACTIVATED CHARCOAL bed- to remove odour and some more chemicals.\n\nchances are your water now comes within permissible limits.\n\nIf not, u'll do well to \npass the whole thing thru RO(Reverse Osmosis) membranes-to remove microscopic solutes, \nsubject the water to aeration - to increase Oxygen content, \nand maybe even Ultra violet treatment- to kill most bacteria and other pathogens..\n\nRather than trial and error, U'll do well to go to a water consultant.
481463
there are a variety of treatment options depending on the type of pollution. \nboiling is only effective for biological contamination\nmembrane filtration will eliminate heavy metals\nDistillation will remove everything but is very expensive\naeration is effective for volatile organic compounds
932588
I think most water filters use carbon filters which just filter out the big particles from the water