A still can be used for different purposes, such as purifying water or distilling diesel fuel. It can also be used to distil alcohol, but in many countries this use is prohibited and it can be dangerous to both use it and consume the finished product. But a distiller to purify water is perfectly legal and can be very useful. Plus it's an interesting project for a science course.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Build a boiler still
Step 1. Get the necessary materials
Most of the things you will need can be found at home improvement stores or hardware stores. You will need to bend some copper pipes, so if you don't want to complicate things, you may want to buy a pipe bender as well. They are found in the plumbing department in DIY stores. Here is a list of the necessary material:
- A kettle or pressure cooker, preferably made of copper or stainless steel. Absolutely not aluminum or lead.
- A rubber stopper or closure suitable for opening your kettle or pressure cooker.
- Copper tube with a diameter of around 8mm. Depending on the project, you will need between 3 and 6 meters of pipe.
- A very large thermos or cooler, or a bucket if you don't want to spend money.
- Joints for pipes (optional).
- A thermometer.
- Drill.
- Silicone.
Step 2. Build the gasket
Make two holes in the piece of rubber or cap, one for the outlet tube and the other for the thermometer. The holes should be made slightly narrower so that once the pieces are inserted, no air passes through. The cap you will use must also fit perfectly into the pot.
Step 3. Prepare the copper spiral
You will need a copper spiral to condense the steam from the kettle. Take the 8mm copper tube and start rolling it, forming a spiral. You will need to leave a longer length of straight pipe at one end and a shorter one (at least 15cm) on the other. You can bend the tube by rolling it around an object or you can use a tube bender. The copper IUD needs to be tight enough to fit into the cooler or bucket, leaving about 2.5cm of space on each side.
Copper tube tends to deform very easily when you bend it. To avoid this, you can plug one end and fill the tube with salt or sugar with a funnel (do not use sand). Shake the tube as you fill it to make sure they don't remain empty
Step 4. Build the capacitor
The vessel in which you will put the copper coil is called a condenser. Make a hole in the side of the bowl, at the bottom. From here the shortest part of the coil will come out, the one from which the distilled product will come out. Then make a hole at the top. Here you will put the longest part of the tube.
Step 5. Insert the coil into the condenser
Put the coil into the condenser, passing the shorter part of the tube through the hole in the bottom. Seal this hole with silicone or putty. Then pass the longest part of the tube through the hole at the top.
- If you want to open the condenser lid more easily, cut the tube a few inches above the lid and create a separate section of tube that goes all the way to the kettle. Connect the two pieces of pipe with a joint that you can disassemble if necessary.
- If you capped the tube to fold it, remove the cap. Empty the hose and rinse it before mounting the coil. You can do it later, too, but it will be much more difficult.
Step 6. Connect the tube to the boiler
Connect the longest part of the pipe to the boiler, inserting it into the kettle. Do not push the tube too far into the kettle, it must not be in contact with the liquid.
Step 7. Insert the thermometer
Insert the thermometer into its hole. Make sure that the tip is submerged but without touching the bottom or sides of the boiler.
Step 8. Use the still correctly
Fill the condenser with ice, water and salt. Use a hot plate to heat the boiler, as the flame could be problematic for you. Do not heat the boiler when it is empty, and in general be careful because if you have not done everything right the pressure could rise dangerously. If you distil alcohol, do not consume what is produced at a temperature below 78, 4 degrees or risk at least permanent damage to your sight.
Method 2 of 3: Build a solar still
Step 1. Get the necessary materials
You will need a container for distilled water, a plastic sheet, a shovel, a plastic tube.
Step 2. Dig a hole
Dig a hole as wide as your plastic sheet and a few inches deep.
With this distiller you can purify drinking water. If you were to be shipwrecked on a desert island it would come in very handy
Step 3. Insert the container
Place the water container at the bottom of the hole, in the center. Put some earth on the sides to keep it straight. Put one end of the plastic tube into the container and stretch the other one away from the hole so it doesn't fall into it.
Step 4. Add leaves and branches
Fill the hole with plant material if available. It is not strictly necessary, but it will help you collect more water.
Step 5. Cover the hole
Cover the hole with the plastic sheet and use stones to hold it in place on the sides.
Step 6. Add a weight
Place a stone in the center of the plastic sheet so that it folds down at an angle of about 45 degrees. the lowest point must be exactly above the collection container, but not in contact.
Step 7. Seal the edges
Cover all edges of the tarp with earth or sand to prevent evaporation. Do not block the plastic tube.
Step 8. Wait for condensation to collect
After two or three hours the moisture should have collected at the bottom of the sheet and then in the container below.
Step 9. Drink
Pull the water out of the plastic tube. You can also discover the distiller and take it directly from the container, but then you will have to rebuild everything, and you will lose the moisture accumulated in the meantime.
Method 3 of 3: Build a small solar still
Step 1. Take a deep cup
It can be plastic, aluminum, steel, as long as it is not lead. Place the container on a sunny surface outside.
Step 2. Put a smaller cup inside
The cup inside must also be lower.
Step 3. Fill the large cup with water, but do not go over the edge of the smaller cup
Step 4. Cover the cup with plastic wrap
Pull it tight so it doesn't get through, then secure with rubber bands or tape.
Step 5. Place a weight in the center of the film, so that it will tilt downward, without letting it touch the cup
Step 6. Wait for the water to collect
The sun will evaporate the water in the larger cup. The vapor will condense on the film which, being tilted in the center, will cause the condensation to fall into the smaller cup. Now you can drink it!
Advice
If you are distilling your drinking water in the boiler still, try using glass tubes instead of copper. You will get purer water
Warnings
- Do not leave a boiler still running unsupervised. If you don't put out the flame once the liquid runs out, you could damage it.
- Do not close the boiler too tightly. A weight on the lid is sufficient to prevent too much steam from being dispersed without increasing the pressure. If you tighten the lid too tightly, the pan could explode.
