Clean, safe, and clear water is not easy to find nowadays. The rise of population, industrial development, and declining environmental quality are among some of the causes.

Water purification techniques are more needed than ever before, in order to ensure the quality of drinking water. There are so many minerals in water that the body needs, but the problem is, there are also many bacteria and other impurities that may be consumed.

Along the way, many water purifiers are gaining popularity with their types and configurations.

What is a Water Purifier?

What must be understood first, the purified water is the end result of water that has been purifying. The goal is to produce pure water with a specific level by limiting the amount of certain minerals.

A water purifier is a device that filters out contaminants in water. Some of the contaminants include sand particles, parasites, bacteria, algae, viruses, fungi, and toxic compounds. Minerals such as calcium, silica, and magnesium are also removed.

The process also removes odors, tastes, and colors. The purification process is mostly intended for drink, although it can be used for other purposes. Industries that utilize purified water include pharmaceutical, medical, and chemical.

Especially in some countries, water purifiers are even regulated by a standard to be drinkable. This standard usually refers to the minimum or maximum amount of mineral content and its contaminants.

Water Purifier Method

The water purifier has several methods such as carbon filters, biosand filters, reverse osmosis filters, ultraviolet filters, ceramic filters, and ion exchange filters. Here's the full explanation.

1. Carbon Filter

Also called carbon treatment, this purification method utilizes gaseous solvents of chlorine, carbon monoxide, nitrogen, and ammonia. Besides the chemical solutions, there are organic materials such as algae and leaves.

The porous nature of carbon is helpful in absorbing contaminants and pollutants. In general, carbon filters used in household water purifiers are equipped with an active silver coating to kill bacteria.

2. Electrodeionization

Water will flow through the positive and negative electrodes. The ion membrane will separate the positive ions from the water to the negative electrode, and the negative ions to the positive electrode. A high-purity deionized water is then produced.

This method has the ability to filter out arsenic substances from water using a special type of iron plate. However, the electrodeionization method won't be able to filter out non-ionic organic contaminants.

3. Biosand Filter

This method utilizes a container filled with a layer of sand and gravel to filter pathogens, which are small organisms that often cause diseases. Sand usually contains small organisms and a number of bacteria.

Small organisms in the sand filter, called a biolayer, will eat small particles and pathogens. Biosand filter is capable of filtering 12-18 liters of water for single use. Important note, the water must be free from harmful chemical compounds since this method cannot filter chemical substances.

4. Distillation

This method involves boiling water to trigger evaporation. The water vapor generated will be in contact with a cold surface so that it condenses and turns into a liquid again.

But even the distillation method is not really capable of purifying water because some contaminants are able to exist at a certain boiling point. The solute usually will not evaporate, and will remain in the boiling water. However, 99% of pure water can be obtained from distillation.

5. Reverse Osmosis Filter

This method uses two purification techniques at once, which are active carbon and particle filtration. With reverse osmosis (RO), water will pass through a polymer membrane that will filter minerals and small organisms.

The filtered dirt will be removed through a dedicated pipe. The RO method is able to improve the taste of water, but there are doubts whether the water purifier produced by the RO method is 100% safe.

This is because the filter is sometimes not that perfect so the bacteria can escape. The RO method is highly recommended for water with a high mineral content.

6. Ultraviolet Filter

Using UV light with low radiation levels, the method kills bacteria and microbes by attacking the DNA of cells. The result is 99% more accurate than other filters.

This method is effective in removing all types of pathogens but less effective at filtering odors, tastes, colors, and chemicals. This method is capable of purifying at least 200 liters of water every day.

7. Ceramic Filter

It is like a cylinder that has a cavity in the middle and is usually made of clay mixed with several materials such as sawdust, coffee residue, or rice husks.

This method is able to block bacteria with an accuracy rate of 99% for chlorine and E. coli bacteria. The unusual design makes the ceramic filter safer because it can prevent the purified water from being contaminated again.

8. Ion Exchange Resin Filter

In this method, water will flow through the resin which will 'soften' the water by absorbing the minerals present. It's even more like exchanging negative ions for positive ions.

The resin filter softens the water by sucking up the salt content in the water and is able to demineralize the water, or depending on the desired output.