How Reverse Osmosis Can Protect Your Health

Osmosis involves the passage of clear liquid (or a solvent with higher concentration) through a membrane to achieve equilibrium with a denser solution (or one with a solvent of lower concentration). For example, if you have water that is very salty separated by a membrane from water that is less salty or unsalted, the less salty water will travel through the membrane until the concentration of both waters is the same. 

Reverse osmosis uses high pressure to reverse that process. It forces cleaner water out of the salty water by pushing it through a membrane under high pressure. Thus, reverse osmosis is a means to both purify and to desalinate water. It can be used to turn salt water into drinking water or even contaminated water into water suitable for irrigating crops.

Reverse Osmosis for Clean Drinking Water

Reverse osmosis is a water treatment method often used to desalinate salt water to make it potable. It is also used as a purification method to remove impurities and contaminants from the water caused by environmental factors.

Reverse osmosis uses membranes with tight pores to remove any dissolved solids, bacteria, chemicals, and viruses from water. It also effectively removes colors, odors, and tastes from drinking water and is used by many water bottling factories. Some of the industries utilizing reverse osmosis-treated water include the pharmaceutical, food and beverage, HVAC, semiconductor manufacturing, and metal finishing.

Reducing Desalination Cost with Brackish Water

Water is normally either freshwater or saltwater. Anything in between is brackish.

Brackish water is common in places where freshwater and saltwater meet such as estuaries, mangrove plantations, and deltas. Its salinity is less than that of seawater but more than that of freshwater. Brackish water doesn't host a diverse array of wildlife as rivers or oceans because the conditions are unideal for both freshwater and saltwater creatures.

Nonetheless, due to their reduced salinity compared to seawater, brackish water is a less costly source of potable water. The degree of water treatment required for brackish water isn't as extensive as seawater, helping desalination facilities save on costs. In fact, some desalination plants like the Thames Water Desalination Plant in London draw their water from estuaries.

Reverse Osmosis System fights Contamination

Algae contamination in the water supply can be hazardous for every household. Thankfully, municipal water organizations are always in search of effective ways of keeping contamination at bay. One such method is reverse osmosis filtration.