Reverse Osmosis Water Treatment

Reverse Osmosis Water Treatment is a multi-stage filtration system that pushes your tap water through a semipermeable membrane. It’s a robust process that removes many harmful contaminants, including chlorine, and improves the taste of your drinking water.

Reverse osmosis utilizes the natural process of osmosis; water molecules move to a more concentrated solution until equilibrium is reached on both sides of the membrane. This is the same basic principle behind desalination.

Reduces Chlorine

Reverse Osmosis systems are a great way to strip chlorine out of your water. Chlorine is a chemical that can bind to certain minerals and make them unavailable for the body to absorb. This is why drinking chlorinated water is associated with diseases like bladder cancer and certain forms of skin cancer. It is also known to contribute to the formation of trihalomethanes, which are a group of chemicals linked to heart disease and other health problems. A good reverse osmosis system will remove chlorine and other harmful contaminants from your water and help to prevent these diseases.

Most reverse osmosis drinking water systems start with a pre-filtration stage that reduces sediment and chlorine from the water before passing it to the membrane. The membrane is a thin film of semi-permeable material that is designed to remove a large number of aesthetic and health-related contaminants from Reverse Osmosis Water Treatment the water. The water is then stored in a pressurized tank until it is ready for use. Most systems will then run the water through a carbon filter for a final polishing stage to remove any remaining taste and odors before it is used in your home.

While a Reverse Osmosis system does remove some beneficial minerals from the water, this is not necessarily bad for you. Our bodies are 70-80% water, and we get the majority of our nutrients from food. Drinking Reverse Osmosis water is just a healthier alternative to buying expensive and wasteful cases of bottled water.

Removes Minerals

Reverse Osmosis removes many minerals from water, including healthy minerals like calcium and magnesium. The semi-permeable membrane filters out the mineral atoms because they are larger than water molecules. The human body needs these organic minerals, which are typically ingested through dietary plant foods that convert inorganic minerals from soil into the organic compounds our bodies can absorb.

Removing these minerals from the water makes ice clearer and beverages more refreshing, but it may also reduce the mineral content that contributes to the hardness of tap water or the alkalinity of drinking water. Using an RO system can help you meet EPA recommendations for Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) in drinking water.

In a reverse osmosis system, pressure from a pump overrides the natural osmotic process by forcing feedwater with lots of dissolved salts and impurities through a sophisticated semipermeable membrane. This separates the feedwater from the reject flow, which flows into a storage tank or drain. The result is highly purified water.

However, some of the rejected water is wastewater. To minimize waste, industrial systems limit the amount of wastewater they produce and use multiple stages to filter water. In residential systems, wastewater recovery is usually limited to about 15% of the feed water volume. This is less than the 10% to 15% that some other industrial filtration methods achieve. It can still be a significant amount of water to discard, though.

Reduces Alkalinity

A reverse osmosis system works to reduce total dissolved solids (TDS), which are salts and inorganic contaminants that cannot be removed by ordinary water filters. It does so by reducing the concentration of inorganic ions. The lower the TDS level, the more alkaline or basic the water is. A reverse osmosis system can lower TDS to levels acceptable for drinking water.

The system also removes nitrates, arsenic, lead and cysts, which include Cryptosporidium and Giardia, from your drinking water. It is important to note that it does not kill bacteria, so you will still need a UV disinfection system.

Reverse Osmosis systems are able to filter down to the molecular level, which is more effective than regular filters that only screen out particles by size and polarity. This is a significant benefit of this technology and makes it the most comprehensive water treatment method.

While a reverse osmosis system can significantly improve the quality of your drinking water, it does produce some waste. It is important to choose a model that minimizes the amount of wastewater produced.

Our top pick from iSpring, for example, includes a final remineralization stage before dispensing filtered water. Filling Machine Supplier This restores minerals lost during the filtration process and helps ensure that your filtered water tastes good. It also has a large storage tank and convenient dispenser.

Reduces Lead

Reverse Osmosis can also reduce levels of lead in your water, which is important because high concentrations of this contaminant are dangerous to health. Reverse Osmosis systems use a pre-filtration phase to strain out small sediments to protect the membrane from dirt and other debris that could damage it, followed by a reverse osmosis stage that filters out a wide variety of aesthetic contaminants and health-related minerals (often including chlorine). The resulting water is sent to a pressurized storage tank for on-demand consumption. Some RO systems include a carbon post-filter for reducing odors and chemicals that remain in the final product.

When selecting a system, look for a certified Reverse Osmosis filtration process that removes the specific contaminants you are trying to target. You should also consider a system with multiple stages, as these tend to be more effective at removing contaminants than single-stage models.

The APEC ROES-50 under-sink system, for example, is one of our top picks because it offers a straightforward operation, a large storage tank, and on-demand filtered water from a faucet dispenser. It is also one of the few models on the market that includes a carbon filter that reduces a number of contaminants, including chlorine and lead.

A good option for homeowners who want to ensure they have clean, healthy drinking water at every sink in the house is a whole-house RO system that ties into the main water line. However, these are usually more expensive than point-of-use systems and require professional installation.