There are quite a few different ways to purify water. This is done in order to make water fit for drinking and for using in other purposes like cooking, washing, bathing, and using it for different other jobs. There are several water filtration methods which help clean the water from different sources, like ground water, river water, sea water, and that found in the atmosphere, and then remove random debris and other particles from it.

Generally, the purified water is used for drinking purposes, both by humans and animals. It is also used in factories and for making certain products. A lot of times, the purified water is used for addition into chemical components, or used in machines, or added to packaged goods.

The different water filtration methods are presented below.

1. Distillation: This is considered to be one of the most sure-shot methods of water filtration. It is also one of the most popular and oldest methods tried till date. In this method, water is first heated to a boil, and allowed to evaporate into water vapor, and then the resultant vapor is cooled and condensed in a separate area where it is collected. This way, water can be safely separated from all debris and particles, and purified.

2. Microporous Filtration: This is a process which makes sure all solid particles are removed from the water. Here, water is allowed to pass through layers of porous items which trap solid particles and let the purified solution through. The method gets rid of most dirt particles and airborne bacteria present in the vicinity and has quite a widespread usage worldwide. Ultra filtration, an advanced version of this process, stops most of the germs, bacteria and other bodies that are carried with water, and produces clear water which is safe. However, this process has one disadvantage: it does not kill inorganic water-solvent ingredients.

3. Reverse Osmosis: Considered to be one of the most economic water filtration methods, reverse osmosis is possibly the most widely used industrial water purifier and is used in bottled water plants. The procedure is really simple. Water is put under pressure and pressed through a reverse osmosis membrane which only allows a certain solvent to pass through, effectively holding back all solid and soluble particles which do not adhere to the norm. Reverse osmosis is very safe as a method, and is used in different parts of the world because of its usefulness. This process is also accepted because it can treat water affected by nuclear radiation.

4. Ultraviolet Filtration: It is a procedure that can be found in a lot of household water purifiers. Low dosage of UV rays can effectively destroy and decimate bacteria and virus present in water, and gets rid of harmful products which are present in it. A small UV lamp is present inside the filter which effectively gets rid of all dirt and dust particles, giving clear water.

These are the common water filtration methods which are available worldwide, and are economic and useful