Reverse Osmosis Water Treatment
Reverse Osmosis is one of the most comprehensive methods of water filtration. It removes many aesthetic and health-related contaminants.
Reverse osmosis uses pressure to force water molecules through a semipermeable membrane. This removes most dissolved chemicals, salts and microorganisms.
The water then goes into a storage tank. A pre-filter protects the RO membrane by straining out sand silt and dirt that can clog the system.
Removing Dissolved Chemicals and Salts
Reverse Osmosis is a process that removes dissolved chemicals and salts from water. The process uses high pressure to push water through a semi-permeable membrane. The process removes contaminants such as heavy metals and toxins. It is one of the processes that makes desalination possible, removing salt from seawater to create drinkable water. It is also used in wastewater treatment and can even produce energy.
Basically, reverse osmosis is the opposite of what happens naturally in the body. Normally, molecules will move from the side of a solution that is less concentrated to the side that is more concentrated until they reach equilibrium. However, with reverse osmosis, the water pressure is what does the pushing.
The high water pressure that drives the osmosis process can actually be reused to provide the energy needed to power pumps and other equipment in reverse osmosis systems. This is called re-harvesting energy. It can be done on a large scale for industrial applications and even to recycle waste water.
Reverse osmosis can also be used to strip water of certain minerals. For example, some areas of the country have extremely high levels of natural fluoride that can lead to enamel fluorosis (mottled teeth) or skeletal fluorosis (an Reverse Osmosis Water Treatment actual bending of the bones and skeleton). Reverse Osmosis can remove these levels of fluoride from the drinking water supply. This water can then be remineralized with a remineralizing filter to make it healthy for the human body.
Ending Boil Water Advisory
A point-of-use reverse osmosis (RO) system installed under your kitchen sink can significantly reduce chemicals, minerals and other contaminants that are present in most municipal drinking water. These systems remove contaminants such as lead, volatile organic compounds, PFAS, arsenic and bacteria. They can also significantly lower TDS and improve the taste of your water.
RO systems are also effective for ending a boil water advisory when properly operated and maintained. During a boil water advisory, any drinking or cooking water that has been exposed to disease-causing microorganisms should be boiled rigorously and cooled before consumption. The resulting water will kill most, but not all, bacteria and other harmful organisms.
All but the most pure distilled water contains a mix of both organic and inorganic matter, known as total dissolved solids (TDS). The EPA recommends that acceptable TDS levels be no higher than 500 parts per million.
A good quality multi-stage RO system can significantly reduce TDS. Some systems display the TDS ratio on a digital readout for easy reference. Adding a post-RO carbon filter can further improve the taste and quality of your water and help to extend the life of the semipermeable membrane in the RO process. In addition, a pre-filtration system can reduce sediment and other particulates that could damage the RO membrane. Many RO systems come with these components as standard.
Desalinating Sea Water
Reverse osmosis is now being used to desalinate sea water, which could be very helpful for many countries experiencing water shortages. Initially, the saltwater must undergo a prefiltration phase to remove impurities such as oil, rubbish and seaweed, which would otherwise clog the RO membranes. It then goes through reverse osmosis. Here the filtered water is separated into two streams: brine and fresh water. The brine solution is diluted and returned to the ocean so that it does not cause harm to marine ecosystems. The fresh water is then remineralized and chlorinated.
The membranes that are used in reverse osmosis plants have tiny pores that separate the salt and other unwanted impurities from the drinking water. This process is similar to the natural osmosis process that takes place in lakes and other bodies of water, only it requires much higher pressure. Reverse osmosis requires between 200 and 400 pounds-per-square-inch of pressure to force the contaminated water through the membranes and out of the plant.
In addition to removing dissolved chemicals and salts, this type of filtration also eliminates Filling Machine Supplier bacteria and viruses from the water. This makes it a popular choice for coffee and espresso machines in restaurants, as well as in food processing applications such as boiling and steaming vegetables. It’s also being used to purify wastewater and turn it into clean, drinkable water; a process known as toilet-to-tap.
Recycling Waste Water
Reverse osmosis industrial wastewater treatment systems clean water so that it’s safe to release back into the environment without contamination or recycle and reuse to fit the needs of your plant. This process removes dissolved chemicals, total organic carbon, trace organic compounds, pathogens, and other contaminants that cause the most damage to the environment and to water-using equipment.
Unlike a water filter pitcher or faucet filter that filters out only certain toxins, a reverse osmosis system has multiple stages of prefiltration and membrane filtration. This includes a sediment filter to strain out the largest particles like dirt, silt, and sand that can clog the RO membrane. It also includes a precarbon filter to filter out the chlorine and other chemical contaminants that would contaminate the RO membrane.
Once these prefilters have removed the larger contaminants, the water passes through a reverse osmosis membrane with a pore size that’s smaller than a human hair to separate the water molecules from other substances. Then, the treated permeate water is collected in a tank while the concentrate stream that contains all the dissolved chemicals and salts goes down the drain.
The concentrate stream that goes down the drain is not a waste product because it’s used to wash down the membranes, the piping, and other parts of the water filtration system to prevent them from getting dirty or clogged. It also helps to flush away the remaining contaminated water and chemicals, preventing them from building up in your home’s plumbing and drains.