How to Filter Sea Water Using a Clay Pot

Turn salt water into drinking water no matter where you are.

Clay pot filters have proven to be effective filters when dealing with diseases like E Coli. As an inexpensive alternative to manmade filters, developing countries have been using homemade clay pots to purify their water. While clay pots aid in filtering for bacteria, there are some areas where salt water becomes an issue, as undrinkable. Use a clay pot to aid in the process of removing salt from water along with the sun and a few other readily available materials.

Instructions

1. Choose a location that will experience direct sunlight for enough hours to purify the amount of water you have. The purifying process requires the water to evaporate so the more water you have the longer you will need to leave it in sun.

2. Use a vessel larger than your clay pot. This can be another pot, a larger bowl or a hole dug in the sand on the beach. Place the clay pot in the middle of the bowl. The pot needs to be shorter than the bowl and taller than the level of the water you are distilling. Fill the larger vessel with water below the top of the clay pot.

3. Cover the vessel with plastic wrap or a tarp. The covering will help trap the water rather than evaporate into the atmosphere. Place a rock in the middle of the covering right above the pot to form a dip towards the clay pot. Water will evaporate in sun and stop at the covering, with the rock in the middle, the water will travel toward the dip, and eventually drip into the pot.

4. Leave the vessel alone for a few hours to a full day depending on the amount of water you want to purify. After that time, remove the covering and find the clay pot filled with water while the vessel surrounding it has the remaining salt. When the water evaporated in the sun, the salt stayed behind in the large vessel.

5. Allow the desalinated water to filter through the clay pot in case there are any other contaminants in the water. Use a second clay pot to implement a two-step filtration process.

References

• The Australian National University: New Filter Promises Clean Water for Millions
• PBS Kids: Solar Still