- Joined
- Jan 20, 2022
- Messages
- 21
Safe water is a term invented by me because the medical and engineering industries have chosen to codify terms like filtered, purified, etc, but laymen haven't adjusted to this and frequently use these other terms incorrectly. My nomenclature grants us a clean slate to describe what we actually wish to achieve, instead wasting time trying to get everyone to digest medical terminology.
Let me start off with a few key points:
* This is a theory discussion thread, not a gear discussion thread.
* This thread does not cover distillation.
* Your urge to talk about those first two points doesn't negate the fact this is not where I will help with them. Find/make a different thread.
* Look to the end of the discussion for me to elaborate on why I have those two points.
The point of this thread is to bring your knowledge base beyond gear. I see lots of folks on prepping sites talking about what filters, gadgets, and chemicals to use for make drinking water after SHTF or just for wilderness use. The problem I see most often is their focus on the parts instead of the process. When someone suggests some other part or idea many readers get stuck back at zero again unsure how this would affect their planning. But once you understand the process then all your options begin to start making more sense.
Safe Water = Sediment Removal > Biological Remediation > Toxin Removal.
If you understand that process then all you have to do when you see new chemicals, filters, or gadgets is figure how each works and where they fit into the process above. In theory the last two can be switched around but for practical reasons it is better to do toxin removal last as those components tend to have the shortest volume lifespan so the cleaner the water is the longer the toxin filter will last.
The equation explained:
Safe Water is not perfect water. Only labs make perfect water. Instead it means where the risk factors are so low that a moderately healthy or mildly sick person can feel safe drinking it. It need not be crystal clear. It's not sterile, pyrogen free, injectable, triple distilled, or any other term you might see out there. It just means almost everyone can drink it without worry.
Sediment Removal is taking the bulk of the solids out. Solids interfere with the next two processes, making them harder and shortening the lifespan of filter media.
Biological Remediation is removing dangerous lifeforms from the water. There are two levels of this. First is removal of bacteria, cysts, protozoa, algae, and other microflora. The second level is removing viruses. The removal of viruses is only for regions where virus present a realistic threat. Most temperate areas, especially in 1st World nations, have negligible viral water threats. Hot tropical and cold tundra areas do pose special viral risks.
Toxin Removal is dealing with non-living threats in the water. Mycotoxins from the metabolism of living creatures, soluted metals, arsenic, hydrocarbon and other solvent waste, cleaning agents, fungicides, herbicides, pesticides, fertilizers, acid rain, mining runoff, industrial waste, and post consumer runoff all exist out there. The more industrialized and urban an area is the more likely the risk is. Rural areas are not much safer as farms offer their owns risks. Almost every place is downstream from somewhere and anything upstream or up elevation flows down. Acid rain will fall even at very high and population free areas. Even where no man exits there is risk simply from the earth. Naturally occurring metal deposits and arsenic are found all over. Remember that every man created toxin was once something man grew or pulled out of the earth. Your risk for toxins is lowest in wilderness settings of 3rd World tropical nations.
Now let's cover what you can use for each of the three steps.
Sediment Removal
Sand: Preferably clean boiled sand. Play sand is a good choice. Used inline.
Flocculation: Using an agent to clump or flake the sediment so it floats or sinks to the bottom. Used in batch method.
Spun filters: Artificial fibers spun into a cone or cylinder. Used inline.
Filter cloths: Expedient method using cloth or fabric mesh like pantyhose. Used inline.
Paper cloths: Expedient method using strong paper, like a coffee filter. Used inline.
Tight weave wire or nylon mesh: A stainless steel or nylon weave of around 100 mesh fibers per inch grade. Used inline.
Biological Decon
Boiling: Rolling boil for 1+ minutes at sea level.
Ozone: Typically found at pool stores as a generator.
Potassium permanganate: 2.5mg/liter, but will not kill viruses at safe drinking amounts.
Miox: Currently off market but some still available on Amazon and eBay.
Silver: Usually as part of an existing filter. No official guidelines for colloidal mixtures because it is only bacteriostatic.
Xylem: Water filtration using plant xylem - PubMed
Alcohol: ethanol only. Difficult as you need about 20% ethanol (40proof), but 3 parts water to 1 part red wine will work due the phenols.
SODIS: Solar water disinfection - Wikipedia
Iodine: Potable Aqua, Lugol's solution, tincture of iodine 2%.
UV: Steripen, Puritest, UV mercury vapor bulb, Watts, many other brands.
Chlorine: sodium hypochlorite (household bleach), calcium hypochlorite (pool shock), chloride dioxide (tablets).
Sub-micron filtration: .1 micron for everything excepts viruses, .02 micron for viruses.
Sodium Dichloroisocyanurate: Sodium dichloroisocyanurate - Wikipedia
*I'm a real big fan of the last one.
Toxin Decon
Membranes: Inline reverse osmosis cartridges.
Activated carbon (charcoal): Good for most organic and some inorganic toxins. Not good for arsenic, fluoride, or heavy metals. Sometimes called AC or GAC.
Bone char: Better than activated carbon on arsenic, fluoride, and heavy metals. Good for other toxins, but not as good as AC.
Activated alumina: Good for arsenic and fluoride. Not so very healthy itself though.
Zeolite: Good for metals and ammonia compounds; Mediocre for other organic toxins.
Ozone: Good for mycotoxins created by algae and fungi.
Tight packed cilantro/parsley: Cilantro, that favorite salsa ingredient, purifies drinking water - American Chemical Society ; Cilantro Filter: Researcher Find That Plant Has Water Purification Properties ; Cilantro Hailed for its Water Purification Properties - Green Prophet ; Cilantro, that favorite salsa ingredient, purifies drinking water
Banana peels: Dehydrated and powdered homemade media; Banana peels get a second life as water purifier - American Chemical Society ; http://www.mindthesciencegap.org/20...etals-from-polluted-water-an-apeeling-option/ ; 4 Steps for Creating a Banana Peel Water Filter
Nopal (prickly pear) cactus: https://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/science_nation/cactus.jsp ; Common cactus could be used to clean water
Continued in next post.......
Let me start off with a few key points:
* This is a theory discussion thread, not a gear discussion thread.
* This thread does not cover distillation.
* Your urge to talk about those first two points doesn't negate the fact this is not where I will help with them. Find/make a different thread.
* Look to the end of the discussion for me to elaborate on why I have those two points.
The point of this thread is to bring your knowledge base beyond gear. I see lots of folks on prepping sites talking about what filters, gadgets, and chemicals to use for make drinking water after SHTF or just for wilderness use. The problem I see most often is their focus on the parts instead of the process. When someone suggests some other part or idea many readers get stuck back at zero again unsure how this would affect their planning. But once you understand the process then all your options begin to start making more sense.
Safe Water = Sediment Removal > Biological Remediation > Toxin Removal.
If you understand that process then all you have to do when you see new chemicals, filters, or gadgets is figure how each works and where they fit into the process above. In theory the last two can be switched around but for practical reasons it is better to do toxin removal last as those components tend to have the shortest volume lifespan so the cleaner the water is the longer the toxin filter will last.
The equation explained:
Safe Water is not perfect water. Only labs make perfect water. Instead it means where the risk factors are so low that a moderately healthy or mildly sick person can feel safe drinking it. It need not be crystal clear. It's not sterile, pyrogen free, injectable, triple distilled, or any other term you might see out there. It just means almost everyone can drink it without worry.
Sediment Removal is taking the bulk of the solids out. Solids interfere with the next two processes, making them harder and shortening the lifespan of filter media.
Biological Remediation is removing dangerous lifeforms from the water. There are two levels of this. First is removal of bacteria, cysts, protozoa, algae, and other microflora. The second level is removing viruses. The removal of viruses is only for regions where virus present a realistic threat. Most temperate areas, especially in 1st World nations, have negligible viral water threats. Hot tropical and cold tundra areas do pose special viral risks.
Toxin Removal is dealing with non-living threats in the water. Mycotoxins from the metabolism of living creatures, soluted metals, arsenic, hydrocarbon and other solvent waste, cleaning agents, fungicides, herbicides, pesticides, fertilizers, acid rain, mining runoff, industrial waste, and post consumer runoff all exist out there. The more industrialized and urban an area is the more likely the risk is. Rural areas are not much safer as farms offer their owns risks. Almost every place is downstream from somewhere and anything upstream or up elevation flows down. Acid rain will fall even at very high and population free areas. Even where no man exits there is risk simply from the earth. Naturally occurring metal deposits and arsenic are found all over. Remember that every man created toxin was once something man grew or pulled out of the earth. Your risk for toxins is lowest in wilderness settings of 3rd World tropical nations.
Now let's cover what you can use for each of the three steps.
Sediment Removal
Sand: Preferably clean boiled sand. Play sand is a good choice. Used inline.
Flocculation: Using an agent to clump or flake the sediment so it floats or sinks to the bottom. Used in batch method.
Spun filters: Artificial fibers spun into a cone or cylinder. Used inline.
Filter cloths: Expedient method using cloth or fabric mesh like pantyhose. Used inline.
Paper cloths: Expedient method using strong paper, like a coffee filter. Used inline.
Tight weave wire or nylon mesh: A stainless steel or nylon weave of around 100 mesh fibers per inch grade. Used inline.
Biological Decon
Boiling: Rolling boil for 1+ minutes at sea level.
Ozone: Typically found at pool stores as a generator.
Potassium permanganate: 2.5mg/liter, but will not kill viruses at safe drinking amounts.
Miox: Currently off market but some still available on Amazon and eBay.
Silver: Usually as part of an existing filter. No official guidelines for colloidal mixtures because it is only bacteriostatic.
Xylem: Water filtration using plant xylem - PubMed
Alcohol: ethanol only. Difficult as you need about 20% ethanol (40proof), but 3 parts water to 1 part red wine will work due the phenols.
SODIS: Solar water disinfection - Wikipedia
Iodine: Potable Aqua, Lugol's solution, tincture of iodine 2%.
UV: Steripen, Puritest, UV mercury vapor bulb, Watts, many other brands.
Chlorine: sodium hypochlorite (household bleach), calcium hypochlorite (pool shock), chloride dioxide (tablets).
Sub-micron filtration: .1 micron for everything excepts viruses, .02 micron for viruses.
Sodium Dichloroisocyanurate: Sodium dichloroisocyanurate - Wikipedia
*I'm a real big fan of the last one.
Toxin Decon
Membranes: Inline reverse osmosis cartridges.
Activated carbon (charcoal): Good for most organic and some inorganic toxins. Not good for arsenic, fluoride, or heavy metals. Sometimes called AC or GAC.
Bone char: Better than activated carbon on arsenic, fluoride, and heavy metals. Good for other toxins, but not as good as AC.
Activated alumina: Good for arsenic and fluoride. Not so very healthy itself though.
Zeolite: Good for metals and ammonia compounds; Mediocre for other organic toxins.
Ozone: Good for mycotoxins created by algae and fungi.
Tight packed cilantro/parsley: Cilantro, that favorite salsa ingredient, purifies drinking water - American Chemical Society ; Cilantro Filter: Researcher Find That Plant Has Water Purification Properties ; Cilantro Hailed for its Water Purification Properties - Green Prophet ; Cilantro, that favorite salsa ingredient, purifies drinking water
Banana peels: Dehydrated and powdered homemade media; Banana peels get a second life as water purifier - American Chemical Society ; http://www.mindthesciencegap.org/20...etals-from-polluted-water-an-apeeling-option/ ; 4 Steps for Creating a Banana Peel Water Filter
Nopal (prickly pear) cactus: https://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/science_nation/cactus.jsp ; Common cactus could be used to clean water
Continued in next post.......