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Product Index >>
Reverse Osmosis (RO)
Reverse
osmosis water purification units use a membrane that is semi-permeable; a
semi-permeable membrane is a membrane that will pass some atoms or molecules
but not others. The membrane allows fluid that is being purified to pass
through it, while rejecting the contaminants that remain. Reverse osmosis
filter systems will allow the removal of particles as small as ions from a
solution. This reverse osmosis process is used to purify water and remove
salts and other impurities in order to improve the color, taste or properties
of the liquid.
How does
reverse osmosis work ?
Water
molecules are forced through a 0.0001 micron semi-permeable membrane by water
pressure. Long sheets of the membrane are layered and rolled up around a
hollow central tube in a spiral design. This rolled-up configuration is
commonly referred to as a spiral wound membrane. The membrane is placed in a
housing unit to maintain the membrane pressure. This pressure supplies energy
to force the water through the membrane, separating it from unwanted
substances.
If
the water pressure is low, then the process of reverse osmosis requires a
driving force to push the fluid through the membrane, and the most common
force is pressure from a pump. The higher the pressure, the larger the driving
force. Also, as the concentration of impurities in the water increases, the
driving force required to reject the impurities needs to be increased.
Substances that are left behind are automatically diverted to the waste drain
so they don't build up in the system as with conventional water filtering
devices. This is done by using a part of the unprocessed water (feed water) to
carry away the rejected substances to the drain, keeping the membrane clean.
Reverse
osmosis drinking water systems will allow the removal of particles, as small
as ions from a solution and is capable of rejecting bacteria, salts, sugars,
proteins, particles, dyes, and other constituents. Reverse osmosis filtration
systems are used to purify water and remove salts and other impurities in
order to improve the color, taste or properties of the fluid. It is applied to
water purification and desalination, waste material treatment, and many other
chemical and biochemical laboratory and industrial processes.
P.S.The
pre-requirement of effectively working of an RO system is right amount of
water pressure: 50 to
85 PSI. If water pressure in your
locality is not enough (less
than 45 PSI), it's better to utilize
pumps; however, severe damage to the system may result at
very high pressure. If local water pressure is well over 85 PSI, a pressure
regulator should be installed, reducing the water pressure into the system.
Pumps requires electricity. Standard RO systems don't.
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