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Reverse Osmosis Method

The reverse osmosis method can be used in many situations where water needs to be purified. Reverse osmosis can be used to remove nearly all organic materials, bacteria and pyrogens. Reverse osmosis also provides an excellent method for purifying seawater for drinking, which makes it a popular method for purification onboard long voyages of seagoing vessels. In order for reverse osmosis to work, the system needs a semipermeable membrane and a source of pure water to draw the impure water across the membrane.

  1. Benefits of RO

    • There are many benefits to reverse osmosis as a water treatment method. One of the main benefits of RO purification is that it can remove solutes such as salt from water. The means that seawater can be made potable through a process of filtration and treatment. RO also removes bacteria in water that can be harmful if ingested. In addition to these benefits, on a large scale this method of purification is relatively cost-effective. Reverse osmosis provides many coastal cities and towns with a renewable source of water that is both pure and healthy.

    Limitations of Reverse Osmosis

    • While reverse osmosis is a very effective method for purifying water, it has several limitations. In order for RO to work effectively, it must have a functioning, clean, semipermeable membrane and clean feed water that will draw the dirty water through the membrane. The water's quality can only be as high as the feed water's quality. If the feed water that is being used has any impurities, they will affect the water that is filtered from the impure water's side of the membrane.

      The membrane itself will be another limitation of RO. If the membrane begins to foul, which is a term used for the clogging of the membrane with heavy metals, it will become less and less effective at purifying the water.

    Reverse Osmosis Water Conditions

    • In many situations, reverse osmosis is used in water that has a pH that is not considered potable or is in a range that can damage other objects that are in the purification system, such as pipes, concrete chambers and fixtures. In order to remedy this, it is necessary to add conditioners to the water in order to modify the pH to a potable level. This is done by adding the proper amount of a base or acid to the water. The pH can be modified in this manner to reach a desired pH level and can be used to control the water's quality before consumption.

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