Reverse Osmosis (RO) is a process in which a solvent from a region of high solute concentration is passed through a membrane to a region of low solute concentration. It is done by applying the osmotic pressure in excess.
Usually, the process is the other way round. That is, the solvent is passed from low solute to high solute concentration without any external pressure. Since this movement is the opposite of natural osmosis, it is termed as reverse osmosis.
How does the Brackish water RO system construction work?
The membrane used in RO systems is semi-permeable. This means, it only allows the passage for solvent and not the solute. The membranes have a dense barrier layer in the polymer matrix. This is where the separation occurs.
In many cases, the membrane particularly gets designed so only the water can pass through the dense layer. It consequently prevents the passage of solutes or salt ions. The process requires a pressure of 2–17 bar (30–250 psi) for brackish and freshwater. Similarly, the seawater requires a force of 40–70 bar (600–1000 psi).
RO process was initially used for desalination. But since the early 1970s, its application has widened to purify fresh water for industrial, domestic or medical purposes.
Let us take a look at a few of the applications of RO systems.
Drinking water purification:
Out of other filtration, Reverse Osmosis is a prevalent type of filter used to improve drinking and cooking water. These filters often work on various steps:
- First, there is a sediment filter to trap particles like calcium carbonate or rust.
- Next is the activated carbon filter. It traps organic chemicals like chlorine because they are suspectable of harming TFC reverse osmosis membrane.
- In the third step, the water meets the RO’s composite membrane, that is either TFC or TFM.
- There can be an optional carbon filter to capture chemicals followed by an optional ultra-violet lamp to disinfect microbes.
Food Industry:
Apart from desalination, Reverse Osmosis is an economical option for concentrating liquids. This is because conventional heat-treatment processes are expensive. RO system is useful in the manufacturing of heat-sensitive substances like enzymes or proteins that are typically found in many food products.
Car Washing:
Water from reverse osmosis has lower mineral content which makes it ideal for final vehicle rinse. This water avoids spotting on the vehicle and reduces the need for drying equipment.
Other application areas:
- Agriculture farms and irrigation
- Labor camps
- Water bottling factory
- Beverage industry
- Hospitals, pharmaceutical
- Dairy, poultry, livestock
- Hotel, resort, golf clubs
Out of other membrane filtration, Reverse Osmosis is in the final category of membrane filtration. It is termed as Hyperfiltration and can remove particles that are larger than 1 angstrom. We hope this article can able to help you in your quest to find more features and benefits of Brackish Water Reverse Osmosis system Dubai.
