A Brief History of Water Treatment Tom O’Connor, PE

2000 B.C.E. Sanskrit Writings The Sus’ruta Samhita “impure water should be purified by being boiled over a fire, or being heated in the sun, or by dipping a heated iron into it, or it may be purified by filtration through sand and coarse gravel and then allowed to cool.” The Sanskrit Ousruta Sanghita “It is good to keep water in copper vessels, to expose it to sunlight, and filter through charcoal.”

1450 B.C.E SedimentationDecanting

400 B.C.E. Hippocrate’s Sleeve Select the most health-giving source “for water contributes much to health” Rain water “should be boiled and strained; otherwise, it will have a bad smell and cause hoarseness.” For straining a cloth bag (later called Hippocrate’s sleeve)

<1,000 C.E. - Arabia, Persia Arabian alchemist, Geber - Distillation “purification of liquid matter from its turbulent feces, and conservation of it from putrefaction.” Persian physician, Avicenna - Boiling Boiling (efficient);Straining through cloth; Aeration, either by gravity or agitation.

1685 C.E. - Sand Filtration Mass Sanitation - for soldiers in the field Straining, sedimentation, followed by multiple (downward-flow) filtration through sand was a “very efficacious method of correcting the bad qualities of water”. Italian Physician - Luc Antonio Porzio

1700 C.E. Parisian Scientist La Hire Rain Water Cistern with Sand Filter covered to exclude light and prevent freezing. Water will keep for years without spoiling (becoming mineralized through contact with the soil). Italian Oceanographer, Marsigli Sea water is not made drinkable by filtering! Marsigli filtered sea water through a 6,000 foot-long glass tube filled with sand.

1750 C.E. - Softening, Coagulation Scotch Physician, Dr. Francis Home ‘Experiments on Bleaching’ first scientific experiments on water softening. London Physician, Dr. William Heberden “The common people of England successfully use alum to purify muddy water grains per quart making the dirt very soon flocculate then slowly precipitate”.

1750 C.E. - Water Filter Patent French entrepreneur, Joseph Amy First book on filters: Nouvelles Fontaines Domestiques First filter patent application: 1745 First filter manufacturer: substituted sponge for sand Poisoned by copper, Amy exposed the menace of copper poisoning. He used lead, pewter or earthenware instead.

Joseph Amy’s Large Filter 1754 Joseph Amy’s Large Filter ’ of sand

1790 C.E. - Filtration in Britain James Peacock, first English filter patent: novel concept of upflow filtration with reverse-flow wash Filtered water supply for Paisley, Scotland: 1804 Piped water to consumers in Glasgow, Scotland: 1810 Scottish Engineer, Robert Thom, slow sand filter: false bottom filter cleaned by reverse flow English Engineer, James Simpson, slow sand filter: deep filter cleaned by surface scraping

Paisley, Scotland Paisley, Scotland Settling Tank, Roughing Filter, Sand Filter, Clear Well

American Rapid Filter American Inventors, Patrick Clark, John Hyatt: 1880 mechanical filtration, backwash, surface wash