What is Reverse Osmosis?
Introduction
In this post, we'll define and provide an explanation for Reverse Osmosis, in addition to outlining the importance of Reverse Osmosis water filtration systems.
Reverse osmosis
Reverse Osmosis is the reverse of the naturally occurring process of Osmosis. In order to understand Reverse Osmosis it is important to have an understanding of Osmosis.
What is Osmosis?
Osmosis is a naturally occurring phenomenon where a solution that is less concentrated naturally migrates towards a solution with a higher concentration.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/neuroscience/osmosis
How does Osmosis work?
An example of how this process works would be if you had two containers full of water that were separated by a semi permeable membrane, one container with a low salt concentration, the other with a high salt concentration, the water with the lower salt concentration would naturally migrate towards the water with the higher salt concentration, in the process creating more of an equilibrium in the solvent to solute ratio between the two containers.
A semi-permeable membrane is a membrane that will allow matter of a certain size to pass through whilst preventing others. A perfect example of such would be Gore-tex fabric that is specifically designed to be waterproof. This technology utilizes an extremely thin plastic film which has billions of small pores cut into it during the manufacturing process which are big enough to let water vapor through but are small enough to prevent liquid water from passing.
What is Reverse Osmosis?
Reverse Osmosis is osmosis in reverse, a technology and process invented with the intention of removing unwanted and harmful contaminants from a water supply system.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/chemical-engineering/reverse-osmosis
How does Reverse Osmosis work?
Whereas Osmosis is a natural process which occurs without any requirement of energy, Reverse Osmosis works by applying pressure that is greater than the naturally occurring osmotic pressure and forcing water through a semi-permeable Reverse Osmosis membrane, demineralizing and deionizing it in the process with the intention of removing harmful contaminants.
The amount of pressure required is dependent on the incoming water quality, more concentrated water requires greater pressure in order to overcome the naturally occurring osmotic pressure.
The Reverse Osmosis semi permeable membranes are manufactured utilizing the same principles applied during the production of Gore-tex fabric as discussed previously. The Pores created in the membrane whilst being large enough to allow matter of a certain size pass through, are small enough to prevent other atoms or molecules from passing through. This allows pure water to pass through whilst blocking the majority of contaminants from doing so.
The unwanted contaminants are discharged through what is referred to as a reject stream, whilst the freshly filtered water is made available to consume.
Why are Reverse Osmosis water filtration systems important?
Reverse osmosis water filtration systems are one of the most effective forms of water filtration reducing harmful biological and chemical contaminants in the water supply down to 0.0001 microns in size effectively only allowing pure water molecules pass through ensuring the water is safe to be consumed.
Not only do RO water filtration systems save your health, there are also many other additional benefits associated with such, they provide a healthier alternative to plastic bottled water as well as being more financially and environmentally friendly.
What health issues can contaminants in the water supply cause?
Health issues caused by contaminants in the water supply system area divided into two categories, acute and chronic.
Acute health effects occur within a short time period of exposure, hours or days, and can cause serious illness or even death.
Chronic health effects occur when exposure to harmful contaminants occurs over a longer time period, many years, e.g's of such include cancer, liver, kidney and reproductive difficulties, etc.
https://www.epa.gov/report-environment/drinking-water
https://www.water-rightgroup.com/resources/common-water-contaminants-and-risks/
What contaminants will a Reverse Osmosis system filter from the water supply?
As mentioned Reverse Osmosis systems can remove contaminants greater than 0.0001 microns in size, as a result are highly effective in removing the following
- Protozoa e.g. Cryptosporidium, GiardiaB
- Bacteria e.g. Campylobacter, Salmonella, Shigella, E. coli
- Viruses e.g. Enteric, Hepatitis A, Norovirus, Rotavirus
- Chemical contaminants E.g. Sodium, Chloride, Copper, Chromium, Lead, Arsenic, Fluoride, Radium, Sulfate, Calcium, Magnesium, Potassium, Nitrate, Phosphorous
Short or long term exposure to any of the above has the potential to create serious health issues or even death.
How do you know if your water water supply is contaminated?
In short, you don't, although some contaminants may cause the water to look, smell or taste bad most are undetectable to humans, meaning poor water quality goes undetected with suspicion only arising after people in the community start becoming sick.
This is why it is so vitally important to seek advice from experts within the space.
Conclusion
As mentioned previously Reverse Osmosis water filtration systems are one of the most effective forms of filtration removing harmful organic and inorganic contaminants in the water supply down to 0.0001 microns in size keeping you and your family save in the process.
Most contaminants are undetectable to the human senses, there is no way of knowing whether the quality of your water supply poses a health risk without seeking expert advice.
Your Health Is Your Wealth