A method of treating waste water comprising the steps of: (a) receiving waste water at a first pressure and a first temperature, the waste water comprising dissolved solids, volatile organic compounds and other components generally and collectively called impurities; (b) pressurizing the received waste water to a second pressure greater than the first pressure; (c) preheating the pressurized waste water to a second temperature greater than the first temperature, wherein said preheating step produces distilled water and pressurized/preheated waste water without boiling of the waste water across heat transfer surfaces; (d) heating the pressurized/preheated waste water to a third temperature greater than the second temperature to produce pressurized/heated waste water without boiling of the waste water across heat transfer surfaces; wherein step (d) comprises the steps of: further heating the pressurized/preheated waste water to a fourth temperature greater than the second temperature and less than the third temperature to produce pressurized/further heated waste water without boiling of the waste water across heat transfer surfaces; and still further heating the pressurized/further heated waste water to the third temperature to produce pressurized/heated waste water without boiling of the waste water across heat transfer surfaces; (e) removing dissolved solids from the pressurized/heated waste water by evaporation caused by depressurization of the waste water to produce steam and brine water, wherein the brine water has a total dissolved solids content greater than a total dissolved solids content of the received waste water; and (f) crystallizing the brine water to produce a solid mass of waste product and steam, wherein the steam produced by step (f) is used as a heat source in at least one of steps (c) and (d), and wherein a plasma torch is used to crystallize the brine water. (a) receiving waste water at a first pressure and a first temperature, the waste water comprising dissolved solids, volatile organic compounds and other components generally and collectively called impurities; (b) pressurizing the received waste water to a second pressure greater than the first pressure; (c) preheating the pressurized waste water to a second temperature greater than the first temperature, wherein said preheating step produces distilled water and pressurized/preheated waste water without boiling of the waste water across heat transfer surfaces; (d) heating the pressurized/preheated waste water to a third temperature greater than the second temperature to produce pressurized/heated waste water without boiling of the waste water across heat transfer surfaces; wherein step (d) comprises the steps of: further heating the pressurized/preheated waste water to a fourth temperature greater than the second temperature and less than the third temperature to produce pressurized/further heated waste water without boiling of the waste water across heat transfer surfaces; and still further heating the pressurized/further heated waste water to the third temperature to produce pressurized/heated waste water without boiling of the waste water across heat transfer surfaces; further heating the pressurized/preheated waste water to a fourth temperature greater than the second temperature and less than the third temperature to produce pressurized/further heated waste water without boiling of the waste water across heat transfer surfaces; and still further heating the pressurized/further heated waste water to the third temperature to produce pressurized/heated waste water without boiling of the waste water across heat transfer surfaces; (e) removing dissolved solids from the pressurized/heated waste water by evaporation caused by depressurization of the waste water to produce steam and brine water, wherein the brine water has a total dissolved solids content greater than a total dissolved solids content of the received waste water; and (f) crystallizing the brine water to produce a solid mass of waste product and steam,