A Few Natural Water Filtration Methods

In a world where lack of clean water is the root cause of more deaths than any other factor, finding as many cheap and effective natural water filtration methods should be a top priority. This is especially true in the light of how big and expensive a lot of the more modern water filtration systems are. Aside from conditions like acid rain, water is pure and clean when it falls from the sky, and only gets contaminated when it encounters toxins and germs on the ground. Extracting those germs and toxins again can be a very difficult process. But fortunately, there are a number of natural water filtration methods that are gaining popularity. Here are just a few.

1. Clay Jars. During my time in southeast Asia, I saw a number of natural water filtration methods. One thing that always really captivated me was the use of certain kinds of clay jars in water filtration. The clay was of a certain type and molded in a certain way so that it was porous, allowing water to filter through it over the course of time. A large clay jar was set inside a large clean plastic tub and every night a few gallons of impure water were poured into the clay jar. In the morning, the water had filtered through the clay and was now outside the jar in the clean plastic tub, ready to be drank. The contaminants, toxins, and germs couldn't make it through the thick clay wall.

2. Solar Water Distillers. I've written extensively about solar water distillers, also called solar stills, in other articles. I love this technology because its so simple to build and use. In essence the water is heated by the sun's rays, which speeds up the evaporation process, and as a result, water begins to quickly condense on the glass pane above and then slides down into a collection tray which transports the clean water into a jug for use. The contaminants and germs in the water don't evaporate along with the clean water, and thus the impure water is filtered and turned into pure water.

3. Bamboo Charcoal. Bamboo charcoal is a very interesting water filtration method. When charcoal is heated and processed in a certain way it becomes very porous and able to absorb a wide variety of toxins and biological hazards like germs and other things. Many people are beginning to use bamboo charcoal in the home because its so easy to take a shoot of charcoal and leave it in a jug of water overnight. Most of the modern standalone filter pitchers you'll see will utilize some kind of activated charcoal for filtration.

4. Fruits, such as Unripe Coconut. Nature has its own way of filtering water. During my stay in southeast Asia, I could buy an unripe coconut for about half as much as a bottle of water cost. The tree itself would filter the impure water and transport it up into the coconut, filling it not only with fresh pure water, but a host of other vitamins, minerals, and most importantly electrolytes that the body needs. This gives you twice as much bang for your buck I say, especially since many water borne diseases cause a person to have diarrhea and lose fluids. Electrolytes as well as many other minerals are of the utmost importance in certain situations.