What was the primary barrier to achieving modern portable water filtration before the mid-20th century?
Answer
The difficulty in creating membranes fine enough to trap microorganisms without requiring immense pressure
Material science served as the significant hurdle for early water purification technology. Engineering a membrane that possessed pores small enough to block pathogens while allowing water to pass through freely was difficult. Older methods, such as ceramic or packed-bed filters, either required large physical structures to house the material or utilized immense manual pressure to force water through, which prevented the creation of truly lightweight, handheld devices for individual use until the mid-20th century.
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