Distillation purifies water by leveraging the process of evaporation.
The Distillation Process Explained
Distillation is a purification method that relies on a simple, yet effective principle: separating water from impurities by changing its state from liquid to gas and back again. The provided reference explains that:
DISTILLATION IS A PROCESS that relies on evaporation to purify water. Contaminated water is heated to form steam. Inorganic compounds and large non-volatile organic molecules do not evaporate with the water and are left behind. The steam then cools and condenses to form purified water.
Here's a breakdown of the process:
Step-by-Step Distillation
- Heating the Water: Contaminated water is heated to its boiling point. This causes the water to turn into steam (water vapor).
- Evaporation: As the water evaporates, it leaves behind most of the impurities. This includes:
- Inorganic compounds such as minerals and salts.
- Large, non-volatile organic molecules that do not vaporize easily.
- Condensation: The steam is then channeled through a condenser, where it's cooled. Cooling causes the steam to turn back into liquid water.
- Collection of Pure Water: The condensed, purified water is then collected. The result is water that is significantly free of the impurities that were initially present.
Practical Insights & Examples
- Home Distillation: While often used in laboratories, small distillers can be used at home to produce purified water for drinking and other uses.
- Industrial Applications: Distillation is widely used in industries such as chemical, pharmaceutical, and power generation.
- Advantages: Removes a broad range of impurities including salts, heavy metals, and some microbes.
- Limitations: It is not very effective at removing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that evaporate along with the water.
Summary Table
| Process Step | Description | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Heating | Contaminated water is heated to its boiling point | To convert liquid water into steam |
| Evaporation | Water turns into steam, leaving most impurities behind | Separates water from non-volatile impurities |
| Condensation | Steam is cooled and converted back into liquid water. | To collect purified liquid water |
| Collection | Pure water is gathered and ready for use | Obtaining purified water |
Distillation provides a reliable way to separate water from many undesirable substances, making it a core method in water purification.
