REVERSE OSMOSIS

Reverse Osmosis (RO) is a water purification technology that uses a semipermeable membrane to remove ions, molecules, and larger particles from water. In RO, an applied pressure is used to overcome osmotic pressure, a colligative property, that is driven by chemical potential differences of the solvent, a thermodynamic parameter.

How it Works?

1. Pre-filtration:

Water passes through pre-filters to remove large particles, chlorine, and other contaminants.

2. High-Pressure Pump:

A pump increases the pressure on the feed water.

3. RO Membrane:

The pressurized water is forced through the semipermeable membrane, which blocks contaminants but allows pure water to pass.

4. Post-filtration:

Additional filters may be used to polish the water before it is stored or consumed.

5. Storage:

The purified water is stored in a tank until needed.

Advantages

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High Efficiency

 RO systems can remove up to 99% of dissolved salts, bacteria, and other contaminants.

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Improves Taste and Odour

By removing contaminants, RO significantly improves the taste and odor of water.

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Low Chemical Usage

Unlike other purification methods, RO does not require chemicals, making it safer and more environmentally friendly. 

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Compact Design

 RO systems are compact and can be easily installed in homes and businesses.

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Versatility

RO systems can purify a wide range of water types, including brackish water and seawater.

Disadvantages

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Water Wastage

RO systems can waste a significant amount of water, with typical systems discarding 3-4 gallons of wastewater for every gallon of purified water.

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Energy Consumption

 High-pressure pumps used in RO consume considerable energy, making the process relatively expensive.

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Maintenance

Regular maintenance is required to ensure the longevity and efficiency of the system, including replacing membranes and filters.

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Initial Cost

 The initial setup cost of RO systems can be high, although they are cost-effective in the long run.

Applications

Residential

RO systems are commonly used in households for drinking and cooking water purification.

Industrial

Used in industries to provide high-quality water for manufacturing processes, especially in pharmaceuticals, food and beverage, and electronics.

Desalination

RO is a key technology in desalination plants, converting seawater into potable water.

Medical

Provides purified water for medical applications, including dialysis and laboratory use.

Agriculture

Used in agriculture to provide high-quality water for irrigation and hydroponic systems.

Reverse osmosis (RO)

➙ Reverse osmosis (RO) is a process that removes a large portion of dissolved solids and other contaminants from water by forcing it through a semipermeable membrane.
➙ Understanding reverse osmosis requires knowledge of osmosis, a natural process where a weaker saline solution migrates towards a stronger saline solution.
➙ Osmosis is a crucial natural phenomenon, seen in processes like plant roots absorbing water from the soil and kidneys absorbing water from blood.
➙ In osmosis, a solution with lower concentration naturally moves towards a solution with higher concentration, as demonstrated by water with low salt content moving towards water with higher salt content when separated by a semipermeable membrane.
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➙A semi-permeable membrane allows certain atoms or molecules to pass through while blocking others.
➙ A screen door is a simple example, allowing air molecules to pass but blocking larger particles like pests.
➙ Gore-Tex fabric is another example; it has tiny pores that allow water vapor to pass but block liquid water.
➙ Reverse osmosis (RO) is the process of osmosis in reverse, requiring energy to push water through the membrane.
➙ Unlike natural osmosis, reverse osmosis requires applying pressure to the saline solution to force water molecules through the membrane.
➙ The reverse osmosis membrane permits water molecules to pass but blocks most dissolved salts, organics, bacteria, and pyrogens.
➙ Applying pressure greater than the natural osmotic pressure forces water through the membrane, leaving contaminants behind.

How does Reverse Osmosis work?

  • Reverse osmosis (RO) uses a high-pressure pump to force water through a semi-permeable membrane, leaving 95% to 99% of dissolved salts behind.

  • The required pressure depends on the salt concentration of the feed water; higher concentrations need more pressure.

  • RO systems produce two types of water: permeate (or product water), which has most contaminants removed, and concentrate (also known as reject or brine), which contains the remaining contaminants.

  • Permeate is the purified water, while concentrate contains the salts and contaminants that couldn’t pass through the membrane.

  • The concentrate can be drained or recycled back into the feed water for further purification.

  • RO systems are rated by the flow rate of permeate water they produce, such as 100 gallons per minute (gpm)

 

What will Reverse Osmosis remove from water?

  • Reverse osmosis (RO) can remove 95-99% of dissolved salts, particles, colloids, organics, bacteria, and pyrogens from feed water.

  • The RO membrane rejects contaminants based on size and charge; contaminants with a molecular weight greater than 200 or with a higher ionic charge are more likely to be rejected.
  • RO systems do not effectively remove gases like carbon dioxide (CO2) due to their low molecular weight and charge, which can lead to slightly lower pH levels in permeate water.
  • RO is effective for treating brackish, surface, and groundwater in various applications, including pharmaceutical production, boiler feed water, food and beverage processing, metal finishing, and semiconductor manufacturing.

Applications of RO

Reverse osmosis is very effective in treating brackish (surface and ground), tap and sea water for both small and large applications.
➙ Municipal drinking water
➙ Food and beverage industry
➙ Agricultural irrigation
➙ Industrial ultrapure water
➙ Industrial process water
➙Waste water reuse
➙Power industry (boiler feed water, cooling towers)
➙ Municipal/industrial water reuse
➙ Households
➙Engineered and custom designed solutions for unique solutions
➙ Turn-key solutions including design, engineering, manufacturing, automation, installation, maintenance and training.
➙ State-of-art technologies for effective water and wastewater treatment, recycling, reuse, and disposal.
➙ Best on-line assistance and on-site service and support.

Summary

Reverse Osmosis is an effective and proven technology to reduce water contaminants. Further post treatment after the RO system such as mixed bed deionization can increase the quality of the RO permeate and make it suitable for the most demanding applications. Proper pretreatment and monitoring of an RO system is crucial to preventing costly repairs and unscheduled maintenance. With the correct system design, maintenance program, and experienced service support, your RO system should provide many years of high purity water.