Reverse Osmosis Water Treatment
Reverse Osmosis Water Treatment systems remove a wide range of contaminants. They start with a pre-filtration stage to protect the membranes from particles that could clog them and a carbon filter that gets rid of chlorine and bad taste.
They also eliminate disinfection byproducts that contaminate drinking water and PFOA and PFAS, chemicals used in nonstick cookware and other household items that leach into the water supply. They run on water pressure and a small amount of electricity.
Reverse Osmosis
Reverse Osmosis (RO) water treatment is one of the most extensive and comprehensive methods of water purification available. It reduces Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) – which is what makes your water hard and includes salts, inorganic contaminants, and bacteria – to nearly zero. It also reduces contaminants Reverse Osmosis Water Treatment down to a molecular level, resulting in water that’s as clean and pure as possible.
In reverse osmosis, pressure forces your drinking water through a semi-permeable membrane to separate out contaminants and create clean drinking water on the other side. The rejected water, sometimes called brine water or wastewater, goes down the drain. A typical RO system sends about 4 gallons of waste water to the drain for every gallon of clean drinking water produced. Because of this, it’s important to consult a water expert before selecting a whole-house RO system for your home.
Reverse osmosis removes many of the dissolved minerals in your water, like calcium and magnesium, which are what causes hard water. These minerals aren’t bad for you, but the human body gets most of its essential vitamins and nutrients from food, not water. If you want more minerals in your drinking water, we recommend our remineralization cartridges. They add back in only the minerals your body needs. This is particularly helpful for saltwater fish enthusiasts, who can strip the harmful minerals out of their tank water and remineralize it to match the water in the ocean, which is what they’re used to.
Well Water Treatment
Private well owners have many choices for water treatment, including reverse osmosis. These systems are most often found in point-of-use applications such as under the sink systems. The large amount of water required for this process and the creation of a waste product make it impractical for whole house systems.
A reverse osmosis system uses a semi-permeable membrane to separate water molecules from other materials. It takes pressure to overcome osmotic forces that favor even distributions of solutes (substances that can be dissolved in other materials). This creates a concentration gradient across the membrane. Water is forced through the membrane into a chamber of treated water, while rejected contaminants are carried away in the waste stream (called brine).
The first cartridge in a reverse osmosis system is a sediment filter that removes larger particles and dissolved solids from the feedwater. This helps protect the membrane from getting clogged by excess sediment and from chlorine in municipal water.
Reverse osmosis systems reject contaminants by their molecular weight and ionic charge. The greater the ionic charge, the more likely it is to be rejected by the membrane. Typical rejection percentages range from 80% to 99% of dissolved salts, particles, colloids and organics, as well as bacteria and pyrogens.
Reverse osmosis is also used in the production of maple syrup, dairy products and wine. It is also the basis for the desalination process that produces fresh drinking water in places like Perth, Australia.
Pre-Filtration
The first stage of a reverse osmosis system is to filter the water with a sediment prefilter. This removes dirt, rust and any other particulates in the water down to 5 microns. This is done using a melt blown polypropylene or pleated sediment cartridge. These are quick-change filters that can be easily replaced without the need for tools.
The next step is a carbon prefilter to protect the membrane from chlorine and other harmful chemicals that can bio fouled (restrict water flow through the membrane). A carbon filter is also used to get rid of any odors in the water.
A reverse osmosis membrane is a semipermeable Filling Machine Supplier plastic material that allows water molecules to pass while blocking ions and unwanted particles, such as sodium, chlorine, calcium, glucose and cysts. The membrane is tested at 65 psi and 77 degrees to ensure its performance.
As water is forced through the membrane under pressure, it divides into two streams; a stream of treated water and a stream of rejected contaminants, which goes down the drain. This is the same process that plants use to draw nutrients and water up through their roots; however, there are ongoing debates about whether this water is healthy to drink long-term since it is more acidic and void of many vital minerals. Instead, a balanced diet is recommended to get the needed minerals.
Post-Filtration
A reverse osmosis system can remove many contaminants from water but, in some cases, it’s also necessary to add certain minerals back in. This is especially true for fish tanks. Reverse osmosis will remove things like dissolved salt and chlorine which are harmful to fish, but adding in a calcite or alkaline water filter will add those essential minerals back in, making the water healthier for your guppies [source: Foster and Smith].
A point-of-use reverse osmosis water filtration system can be installed at a single sink. It typically has a storage tank under the sink and a separate faucet that draws from it. This type of system can be ideal for renters or those who don’t have the space to install an entire water filtration system under their sink.
It is also a great way to save money on bottled water. Making a bottle of water requires lots of energy and produces a lot of wastewater, which gets sent to the drain. Plus, transporting the bottles uses water and petroleum to get them from the factory to your store, which means more water is used in the process than would be required with a reverse osmosis system at home.
Another interesting use for reverse osmosis is in desalination. Reverse osmosis is one of the most efficient ways to create drinking water from seawater. There are now over 22,757 desalination plants that use reverse osmosis to turn seawater into drinking water in places like Perth, Australia.
