Reverse Osmosis Systems
Reverse osmosis (RO) is an advanced water purification technique used to remove contaminants in water. With this technique almost %98 of external material be removed. Now let’s take a look deep into how reverse osmosis works.
What is Reverse Osmosis?
Reverse osmosis is a physical purificaton process that removes dirt and impurities from water. By eliminating these redundant elements the water can be purified up to 98%. Reverse osmosis is core feautre of many types of water filtration systems
Definition of Osmosis
Osmosis is a natural process where water moves from an area of low solute concentration to an are of high solute concentration through a semi-permeable membrane. Reverse osmosis behaves the opposite. Water is being forced from high to low concentration overriding the normal behavior.
How Does Reverse Osmosis Work?
In a reverse osmosis system the process will be like this below:
- Water is pushed through a membrane with high pressure.
- The membrane holds the contaminants
- Contaminants are left behind
Process of Reverse Osmosis
The process of reverse osmosis will basically work like this:
- Pre filtration
- Pressurization
- Membrane seperation
- Post filtration
- Storage
Benefits of Reverse Osmosis Water
- Removes up to 98% of contaminants
- Improves taste
- Provides bacteria free water
- Reduces exposure to chemicals
- Provides safe drinking water
Health Benefits of RO Water
- Heavy metals can be removed
- Bacteria and viruses removed
- Chemical compounds removed
Common Contaminants Removed by Reverse Osmosis
There are different types of contaminants in the water. The most expected contaminants are as follows:
- Salts
- Heacy metals (lead, arsenic)
- Chemicals
- Bacteria and viruses
- Nitrates and fluoride
Removal Rates of Contaminants
An average Reverse Osmosis system can remove 99% of salts, 99% of bacteria and 95% of heavy metals. This percantage dependent on membrane quality and installation efficiency.
Types of Reverse Osmosis Systems
In general there are two types of reverse osmosis sytems. One for residential systems and the other one is commercial usage. In houses the system can be installed under sink and designed to get a drinkable water. But in commercial systems like hospitals, facilities high water volumes can be used.
Reverse Osmosis System Design and Performance
There are few indicators that help us to understand how reverse osmosis works. These performance indicators are water pressure, membrane quality, feed water quality and temperature.
Key Performance Indicators
The performance is being measured by three metrics:
- Rejection rate (contaminants removal percantage)
- Recovery rate (Amount of usable water produced)
- Flow rate (speed of water)
Pre-treatment Methods for Reverse Osmosis
In reverse osmosis technique the pre-treatment is usually being done. The main reason is to protect membrane from external substances. These external dirsts and agents to be removed by pre-treatments:
- Sediments
- Chlorine
- Organic matter
Maintenance of Reverse Osmosis Systems
For system longevity please follow our maintenance tips. In order to have the system to work flawlessly we recommend a periodic maintenance. In general we recommend replacing these old parts after a certain peroid of time:
Filters should be replaced every 6-12 months
Membranes should be replaced every 2-3 years
Sanitize the system regularly, according to usage.
Reverse Osmosis vs Other Filtration Methods
Reverse Osmosis is generaly better than most of the methods. You can see the comparision table below:
Method | Removes Chemicals | Removes Heavy Metals | Remove Bacteria | Removes Salts |
Reverse Osmosis | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Carbon | Some | Some | No | No |
Ceramic | No | No | Yes | No |
UV Purifier | No | No | Yes | No |
ION Exchange | No | No | No | Some |
Understanding Permeate and Concentrate
In a reverse osmosis system water is seperated into two categories:
Permeate: Purified water passes through membrane.
Concentrate: Also known as “brine” this is the waste water and contains all kind of contaminants left from raw water.
Understanding Water Recovery Rates
This metric shows how many incoming water converted into usable purified water. In house reverse osmosis devices can have 25% to 50% recovery rates. Higher recovery rates are better but these requires advanced and complex designs.
Is Reverse Osmosis Water Safe to Drink?
Reverse osmosis is mostly safe to drink. It removes any contaminants including chemical, biological or dissolved salts. However, due to removal of mineral in the water, it could taste different than ordinary water. That’s why modern system has a remineralization stage to restore essential minerals.
Health Concerns Related to RO Water
Reverse osmosis water is being regarded as safe. But there are few important draw backs. These are:
Low mineral content: Essential minerals may be reduced.
Slight Acidity: RO can lower the pH value
Flat taste: After removal of minerals, the taste may differ.
Cost Considerations for Reverse Osmosis Systems
Reverse osmosis systems may require high installation costs. But in the long term they can provide significant savings by reducing the need for bottled water.
Initial Investment vs Long-term Savings
While reverse osmosis provide savings by providing clean water, it can also have health benefits. In the long term maintenance cost should also be considered when evaluating total cost.
Frequently Asked Questions about Reverse Osmosis
There are too many questions and myths about reverse osmosis technology. Here you can see the frequently asked questions and myths about RO below.
Myth: Ro Water is unhealty because it lacks necessary minerals
Fact: Majority of our mineral needs are provided by food not water.
Myth: RO systems waste too much water.
Fact: Modern RO systems are much more efficient.
Myth: RO removes all beneficial molecules and minerals
Fact: It primarily removes harmful content for human health while improving taste and smell.