Reverse Osmosis Water Treatment
Reverse Osmosis Water Treatment is a membrane-technology filtration method that reduces many types of contaminants. Unlike pitcher or refrigerator filters, it is most often installed at the point of use under your sink.
The process uses energy (pressure) to overcome osmotic pressure, which pushes water molecules up against the semi-permeable membrane and allows only water through. It reduces dissolved salts, ions, organics, bacteria and pyrogens from water.
Removing Contaminants
Reverse Osmosis Water Treatment is known for producing great-tasting pure drinking water. It’s also highly effective for contaminant removal – it gets water clean down to the molecular level, eliminating contaminants and sediments like chlorine, salt, and dirt from your home’s drinking water.
Reverse osmosis systems use your home’s water pressure to force water molecules through a semi-permeable membrane that removes contaminants from drinking water. It starts with a polypropylene spun sediment filter that’s designed to strain out large, visible particulate such as dirt, sand, and debris. This pre-filter helps extend the life of the RO membrane and carbon filters by preventing damage to them from clogged particles.
Activated Carbon filters are included to remove chlorine and other organic solvents from the water that’s fed to the RO membrane. This is a necessary step as chlorine can damage the RO membrane and cause it to fail prematurely.
The RO membrane itself is then able to reject most contaminants that are too large to pass through its microscopic pores (a contaminant molecule must have a molecular weight of 200 or higher and an ionic charge of negative). This includes dissolved substances like metal ions, aqueous salts, and many more. The rejected substances are collected as wastewater and flushed to a drainage system. This wastewater is called brine. The system is then ready for the final stage that remineralizes the treated water by running it back across mineral beds. These water filtration systems are often referred to as Point-of-Use (POU) devices because they treat the water directly at the source where it’s consumed.
Removing Chlorine
Reverse Osmosis systems use a semi-permeable membrane to filter out contaminants from your water. The RO process uses pressure to force water molecules through the membrane. This creates a stream of treated water and a stream of reject water, called concentrate or brine. The contaminated water is flushed away and the clean water flows into a storage tank.
Most reverse osmosis systems include a pre-filtration stage that filters out sediment, silt, and dirt from the water before it gets to the RO membrane. This Reverse Osmosis Water Treatment protects the membrane from damage and clogging and helps to extend the life of the system.
After the filtration and RO membrane, most systems include an additional carbon post-filter to remove chlorine and other contaminants. This is often referred to as the “polishing stage” and ensures that you get a crisp, clean taste from your water.
Some RO systems go a step further and also remove disinfection by-products, such as trihalomethanes and haloacetic acids. These are chemicals that form when chlorine or chloramine interacts with natural organic matter in the water. These compounds have been linked to digestive issues and increased cancer risk.
Other common contaminants removed by RO include fluoride, dissolved salts, and lead. In fact, RO systems have helped to end boil water advisories in communities by safely treating local drinking water.
Removing Minerals
When water is filtered, a reverse osmosis system can reduce a number of minerals from the water. This is because of the natural process of osmosis, which works by water with lower concentration moving towards water with higher concentration through a semi-permeable membrane. A reverse osmosis system reverses the direction of this movement by applying pressure to the water. This creates a stream of treated water called “permeate” and a stream of reject water that is sent to the drain.
This process also removes disinfection byproducts like trihalomethanes and haloacetic acids, which have been linked to digestive issues and increased cancer risk. In addition, it can eliminate PFOA and PFAS, chemicals that are used to make many household items, such as nonstick cookware, before they leach into the water supply.
The resulting water is often much less dense than standard tap water, making it easier to drink. Additionally, it can have Filling Machine Supplier a cleaner taste and smell and can be free of chemicals that are added to municipal water supplies or present in private wells.
Unlike distillation, which uses thermal energy to heat water and condense it back into liquid form, the reverse osmosis process is powered by high-pressure pumps. This is why it’s important to choose a system that is designed to handle the amount of pressure that will be applied. A point-of-use (POU) reverse osmosis system uses a pump to apply between 200 and 400 pounds per square inch of pressure to the water. This is enough to push the water through a semi-permeable membrane and produce a stream of clean drinking water.
Removing Hardness
Although reverse osmosis systems remove many contaminants from water including chlorine, calcium and magnesium they do not make the water soft. This is why it is important to install a water softener before your RO system. This will prevent the build up of hardness on the membrane and allow it to work as effectively as possible.
Water Softening works by exchanging the calcium and magnesium ions that cause hardness with sodium ions through a process called ion exchange. This prevents soap scum, scale on plumbing fixtures, dry skin and dull hair. Using a water softener can also save money on detergent, as hard water does not react well with soap and can take longer to wash.
A Reverse Osmosis system will also remove contaminants like aluminum, copper, chromium, iron, lead, total dissolved solids, chlorides and more. This will produce great tasting water that is free from harmful chemicals, making it healthier to drink and better for the environment.
The final stage is a carbon post filter to reduce any odors or tastes left in the water. This is a critical part of the system, especially in homes with well water where the water may be contaminated by bacteria or microorganisms. This will ensure that the resulting water is clean and safe to drink and use for cooking, coffee, tea, ice and other consumption.
