Reverse osmosis is often used in commercial and residential water filtration. It is also in the treatment of brackish water. Reverse Osmosis is also commonly used in the Aquamarine applications.
Industrial Applications
5 Stage Reverse Osmosis unit comes including all cartridges, fancy tap, all tubing and fittings and manual.
Reverse Osmosis is the most sophisticated filtration method available on the market today. Listing everything that is removed from the water would result in a long list, because it does indeed “remove everything” from the water.
Sometimes the argument “you need minerals in the water” is used against the use of RO water. The use of RO water is, in our opinion, a personal choice. The fact remains, only RO can give you the purest water, H2O, and has properties similar to pure rain water.
It is important to realize that RO systems have a waste (Brine). This is usually 2/3 of the produced water (Permeate). If you use 5 lt. of RO water, 10 lt. will be waste. The waste water also passes through the Sediment and Carbon filtration, it only has a higher Salt or Mineral content.
The system has a holding tank with a capacity of apr. 10-14 lt. A minimum pressure of 3 bar is needed for proper functioning. If the pressure is lower than 3 bar, a system with a boosterpump is needed.
Depending on where you reside and what your needs are the use of a reverse osmosis system may not be necessary.
The key to understanding reverse osmosis is first understanding the process of osmosis.
Osmosis is defined as the passage of a solvent, such as water, from a lower-concentration solution to a higher-concentration solution. A semipermeable membrane separating the two solutions allows the solvent to pass. But not what is dissolved in it.
The flow finally stops when both solutions become equal in concentration. This process is classified as passive transport. Because it does not require energy to be applied.
Unlike osmosis, reverse osmosis requires an external force to complete the transport. Therefore, pressure is a key part of the reverse osmosis process.
And like its name implies, reverse osmosis is the opposite of osmosis. Instead of balancing out the two solutions, the external force of pressure reverses the natural flow.
Since contaminant molecules are larger than water molecules, only water pushes through the semipermeable membrane.
Applying more pressure to the contaminated water makes the reverse osmosis process more effective.
When thinking about this process, it’s helpful to break it down into four distinct steps.
Different brands might vary slightly. But in general, all reverse osmosis systems perform pre-filtration, reverse osmosis, drainage and storage.
Let’s expand on that.
First, pressurized water goes through a particle filter to remove impurities like salt, sand and sediment.
Next the water passes through an activated carbon filter that traps and removes minerals and contaminants such as chlorine, mercury, copper and pesticides. These first two phases are considered the pre-filtration stage.
After pre-filtration, pressurized water is forced through the semipermeable membrane. The smallest impurities become trapped and only water passes through. This is the reverse osmosis stage.
To give you an idea of the membrane’s power, the diameter of one human hair is about 100 microns wide. But in Culligan RO Systems, the spaces in the membrane are approximately ONE micron wide.
Finally, the removed contaminants flush away in the discharge stage. While the treated water moves to a storage tank.
Before the treated water reaches a faucet, it undergoes a final activated-carbon filtration to improve taste and quality for household use.
Few filtration systems remove all contaminants. But reverse osmosis can significantly reduce some of the most dangerous impurities. So what does reverse osmosis actually remove?
There is no safe level of lead exposure, especially for children. And the contaminant cannot be seen, smelled or tasted. So the only way to know whether lead is in your water is to test for it.
Mercury found in water comes from the natural degassing of the earth’s crust and from human activities such as burning fossil fuels. Too much mercury in the body damages the brain, kidneys, or even a developing fetus.
Chromium-6 is also known as hexavalent chromium. And it’s an industrial chemical that found in the drinking water of all 50 states. Chromium-6 is a known carcinogen, linked to cancer, reproductive issues, asthma attacks and other severe effects.
While aesthetics are not necessarily health-related, they affect the taste and odor of your water. If you don’t want your water tasting or smelling like chlorine, an RO can take care of that.
Chloramines are a derivative of ammonia and contribute to an altered taste or smell in your drinking water.
Cloudiness or haziness in water can be caused by high sediment levels. The higher the sediment level in drinking water, the greater chance consumers have of developing gastrointestinal diseases.
A Culligan Reverse Osmosis drinking water system is certified to reduce every EPA-regulated contaminant. More than 100 in total. In comparison to other popular at-home filtration methods, its power is second to none.
