How to distill water- an ancient method

Before jumping into how to distill water, one must first know what distilled water is.
Distillation is a very old method of water purification.

It’s been used since ancient times when modern electronic water purifiers or modern technology of purification of water wasn’t available.

Even electricity wasn’t a concert back then. Then how did human beings purify water? They must have felt the need to purify water.

The answer is very simple. It is a distillation of water. Distillation of water is removing impurities from the water by boiling the water at a certain boiling point of 100° C.

Then, when the vapour is condensed, collecting it in a separate container.

Now let’s answer how to distill water by discussing the methods of distillation of water.

Methods of distillation of water

The answer to how to distill water had been found in AD 200 and is used even now in households and bottled water.

Distillation of water seems to be much cheaper than the modern methods of purification of water. To find out how to distill water, we also have to know the mechanism behind it. The mechanism is very simple and requires simple equipment.

For the process of distillation of water, the simple theory of evaporation and condensation comes to play.

First, water is boiled to form water vapour, and then it is condensed to turn back into water and collect in a separate bowl. Normally fuel plays an essential role in the distillation of water.

Other things that are necessary for the distillation of water are-

A larger bowl.
A smaller bowl to set above the water level of the larger bowl.
A rounded lid to cover the whole of it.
Some ice cubes.

How to distill water is as follows-

First, fill the larger bowl with contaminated or impure water.
Then place the smaller bowl, which acts as the collection bowl for the purified water above it.
Then cover the whole thing with the lid upside down and make sure that the rounded portion of it is above the collection bowl and not the larger bowl.
After that, place the ice cubes on the top of the lid.
Finally, place the whole thing on a burner and light it up or place it on fire.

How does this work

Now the main part of how to distill water is how does it work. When the whole thing is placed on fire and heated, the water boils and vaporizes.

But before it can escape, it hits the upside-down lid, which means the rounded part of the lid upon which the ice cubes are placed.

The change in temperature causes the water vapour to condense and drip into the smaller bowl above the larger one and is collected in it.

The residue and impurities remain in the larger bowl.

How effective is a distillation of water

Only knowing how to distill water is not enough. One has to know how effective it is as well.

Distillation of water normally removes the solid particles and organic compounds present in the water, making it safer for drinking.
However, it cannot remove the inorganic compounds present in water, such as metals, calcium, magnesium.

Also, it removes the essential minerals from the water in this process. Although distillation of water is convenient and less costly, it can cause more air pollution because of the fuel or wood-burning.

It is also very time-consuming. An alternative to fuel or wood can be sunlight, but that will be even more time-consuming.
However, distillation is a very effective measure of water purification in the coastal area despite the flaws.

It may be the only option available to make water safe for drinking.

We hope you found this information useful. Keep drinking safe water and an appropriate amount of water.