Impurities Removed by Distillation

Impurities and Contaminants Removed through Water Distillation:

The distillation process removes almost all impurities from water. Distillers are commonly used for removing nitrate, bacteria, sodium, hardness, dissolved solids, most organic compounds, heavy metals, and radionucleides from water. Distillers remove about 99.5 percent of the impurities from the original water.

What impurities are not removed?

Distillers can allow 0.3 to 0.5 percent of water impurities to exist in the storage container after distilling.

Some volatile organic contaminants (VOCs), certain pesticides and volatile solvents, boil at temperatures very close to water (207-218 degrees Fahrenheit). These types of contaminants will not be substantially reduced in concentration by distillation. Properly equipped distillers can reduce VOC concentrations effectively.

Although bacteria are removed by distillation, they may recolonize on the cooling coils during inactive periods. Maintain proper cleaning to avoid potential bacteria recolonization.