Reverse osmosis (RO)
is a very economical method of eliminating
ninety to ninety-nine percent of various contaminants
. It is a type of filtration process that eliminates large ions and molecules from solutions. It is achieved by applying an external pressure to the fluid when it is present on one side of a semi-permeable membrane. Read on to know more about the reverse osmosis water treatment.
When pressure is applied to the fluid present on the one side of the selective membrane, it results in the retention of solutes on that side. On the other hand, the pure solvent is taken out to the other side. Now, if this type of membrane has to be selective, it should then prevent the large ions and molecules from passing through the pores. But it should let the other small particles or solutes to pass freely.
Purifying Water
This process of filtration is used to eliminate salt and other components from water molecules. Basically, it is implemented to purify drinking water from sea water. The term
reverse osmosis
is given as it the reverse technique of the osmosis process. In the normal process, there is a movement of the solvent from the low solute concentration level to the high level of solute concentration. The most important aspect is that the movement occurs via a semi-permeable membrane.
Osmotic pressure
is the pressure generated when the solvent flows on each side of the semi-permeable membrane to equalize the solute concentrations. When an external pressure is applied to make the pure solvent flow in the reverse direction, it is called as reverse osmosis. This filtration method is also similar to membrane filtration.
Reverse osmosis membranes have a tighter pore structure when compared to ultra filtration membrane. This technology is used most frequently in water bottling plants as it removes all bacteria, impurities and organics that are larger than
300 daltons
.
