Wanderlust World Wanderlust World Distillation is the preferred method for producing high-purity drinking water from river water.
Boiling water and condensing the steam removes virtually all contaminants: bacteria, viruses, protozoa, heavy metals, salts, and most chemicals. It yields near-pure H₂O.
Filtration (ceramic, carbon, membrane) removes particles, some microbes, and certain chemicals—but not dissolved salts, viruses, or all chemicals. It’s less comprehensive than distillation.
Distillation is energy-intensive and slow. In practice, multi-stage treatment (coagulation, filtration, disinfection) is used for municipal supply. For emergency or small-scale pure water, distillation (or solar stills) is effective.