Zeolite water filtration by ... the Mayans!

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Zeolite water filtration by ... the Mayans!




by Christophe » 26/10/20, 12:10

Just because it's old doesn't mean it's out of date ... : Cheesy:

The ingenious technique of the Mayas to filter water

It is not uncommon to be amazed by the extent of knowledge of lost civilizations. Researchers from the University of Cincinnati (United States) have just described, on October 22, 2020 in the journal Scientific Reports, an ingenious technique that the Mayans used to filter water. Indeed, zeolite, a microporous crystal, was found in one of the largest Mayan drinking water storage facilities.

Critically important drinking water reservoirs

The Mayans were forced to build reservoirs to provide a reliable and sustainable source of drinking water during times of drought in what is now northeast Guatemala. Like others, the Corriental reservoir (one of the most important, allowing a storage of around 58.000.000 L) in the town of Tikal was therefore of paramount importance. If blue gold was so precious for this American civilization, it is also because "Tikal and other Mayan cities were built on porous limestone, which made easy access to drinking water difficult to find. get through much of the year especially during seasonal droughts, "the University of Cincinnati noted in a statement.

Researchers have now found that the Mayans were using a system to filter the water in this important reservoir. They used quartz and zeolite (a crystalline compound of silicon and aluminum) to create a kind of molecular sieve to trap harmful microorganisms, nitrogen-rich compounds, heavy metals such as mercury and other toxins.

"While a stand-alone, sand-sized coarse crystalline quartz filtration system would have been able to clarify water, it would have had no effect on removing harmful microbes or noxious insoluble or soluble toxins. Zeolite was a crucial part of the Corriental water purification system, "said the American study, demonstrating all the ingenuity of this civilization. "It was probably through some very intelligent empirical observation that the ancient Mayans saw that this particular material was associated with clean water," said Nicholas Dunning, co-author of this new study.
This system, which could still work today, was therefore discovered more than 2.000 years ago by the Mayans. However, not all tanks were provided. Indeed, a previous study relayed on Sciences et Avenir provided evidence of significant pollution of certain drinking water reservoirs. The mercury and algae identified made the liquid at the site unfit for consumption.

Other techniques used elsewhere in the world

The researchers identified the provenance of the quartz and zeolite by analyzing the sediments found in the old reservoir. Their trace was found nearly 30 kilometers northeast of the town of Tikal. These compounds were therefore imported at least to serve as a filter. In the end, the system, the exact operation of which remains hypothetical, was destroyed for an unknown reason and was not restored. It is possible that the Mayans no longer had access to the necessary raw materials.

The Tikal archaeological records include the oldest known zeolite water purification system that was developed at a time when cultures elsewhere in the world were experimenting with other methods of water purification such as boiling, Cloth colanders, porous ceramic vessels and sand screens, the researchers say.


Source: https://www.sciencesetavenir.fr/archeo- ... eau_148695

The published study: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-75023-7
s41598-020-75023-7.pdf
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