Whats the best way to filter salt water and make it suitable for drinking?

Question

I keep dreaming that I keep getting stranded on a desserted island, I am starting to aquire survival techniques.

Keep it primitive

Answer 1

One method of desalination is distillation. You can construct a solar still, or one that works over a fire. A solar still can be constructed by filling a large, flat container with salt water. Place a smaller container in the center with a rock in it to hold it still. Cover it with a thin sheet of plastic or whatever you have and place a rock in the center above the cup. If this is placed in direct sunlight, water should evaporate and condense on the plastic running down and dripping into the smaller container. For one that works over fire, all you need to do is create steam and condense that steam by using a piece of metal in the steam that allows the condensed water to run into another container.

Answer 2

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Answer 3

Use the old distallation trick. Take some salt water and place it in a small jar with a tube running from it to another jar that is cool. Boil the salt water and the water will travel from the one jar to the other making it fresh and leaving the salts behind!

Answer 4

Don't bother with salt water. Way too much work! Put a sheet of plastic up at an angle, in the evening water vapor in the air will condense on it and run down, you can collect it in a bowl.

Answer 5

I don't think any primitive filtration will help. Reverse Osmosis is the solution and that is not at all primitive!

Answer 6

this is a process called desalination. I would recommend further research on this subject using Google

Answer 7

the best way i can think of is the solar sill unless you have a multistage flash distillation plant with you.

Answer 8

it used to be - assuming the filtration system had several different layers, different materials but i am not certain it is still enough