Water purifier history is actually tied to water history. Human civilizations always thrived and flourished near water source. Water has always been important and necessary for human to survive as water was used for drinking and also for the operational of agriculture. In history, human were much more concerned about the quantity of the water rather than the quality. They emphasized more on to the aesthetic problems of water such as the taste, smells, and appearance. Human slowly realized that its important to drink pure water and the journey to get pure water was started. Driven by the quest for pure drinking water, water purifier was invented after thousand of year’s journey.
The Egyptian and Sanskrit, ancient language writings, reveals that people during that time was keeping the water pure and free of germ. There is a Sanskrit ancient text mention of keeping clean water. The methods include boiling the water, heat it under the sun, or to dip a heated iron into water. The ancient text also mentions the water purification process, water filtration through sand and coarse gravel then to allow it to cool. Charcoal filtration method is also stated in other ancient Sanskrit text. Water treatment device also were painted in an Egyptian tomb, proving its existence since thousands of years ago.
Water Purifier also was mentioned by Hippocrates, the father of medicine. Hippocrates invented water purifier and it was called "Hippocrate's sleeve". Hippocrate's sleeve was a cloth bag and it was used as a water purifier to help removed hard substance and bad odor from the water.
Various methods were also developed by the Romans and Greek to treat water in such a way so they could control the taste of the water and smells.
According to Sir Francis Bacon if seawater is allowed to percolate through the sand, it can be purified. It was the method of desalination. Sand filtration experiment was being illustrated for the first time by an Italian physician, Lucas Antonius Portius. Written elaborately by Lucas Antonius Portius on his book "Soldier's Vade Mecum", the method of multiple sand filtration. The water filtration experiment was illustrated by making used of three pairs of sand filters.
Water Purifier that many people use now is using sand filtration method. In the 18th century, a Scientist in France, La Hire, proposed that every household should have a sand filter and a rainwater cistern to help the keep fresh pure water.
In the 19th century, Scotland, the first municipal water treatment plant was installed which consisted of sand and gravel filters. A similar pattern of the municipal water treatment then was installed in London. The sand filtration method had gone to further progress when the rapid sand filtration was developed later on in the United States of America in the late 1800. Water jets of back washes were being used to clean the filter media in the unit and to loosen the debris, a mechanical agitator were used. The water treatment capacity was enhanced, the smells and taste of water was also improved by using charcoal filtration for the water purifier.
The water cleanliness and the relation of it with health in the 19th century were being understood. Many other techniques of water purification by disinfecting water such as chlorination were also developed since then. Many more progress in water treatment was made after the industrial revolution of water purifier.
