Everything You Need To Know About Reverse Osmosis
Clean, contaminant-free water becomes a necessity for us humans to survive and sustain. However, harmful and toxic elements in domestic water have been documented for ages. Consuming contaminated water can lead to several health complications, including gastrointestinal issues, reproductive problems, and neurological disorders. Such contaminants can significantly affect Infants, children, pregnant women, old aged, and people with weakened immune systems. Drinking toxic filled water may increase the risk of falling sick, thus deteriorating health.
The World Health Organization reported approximately 485,000 diarrhoeal deaths caused by consuming contaminated drinking water. (https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/drinking-water)
Although tap water may seem like a safer option to drink, it is not guaranteed to be contaminate-free. One of the best ways to ensure the safety against consuming contaminated drinking water is choosing a reverse osmosis system.
In this article, you will learn everything about reverse osmosis, how it functions, benefits, and more.
What Is Reverse Osmosis?
Reverse osmosis is the process of removing contaminants and salt from tap or groundwater. The diffusion of water or other solvents is done through a semipermeable membrane known as solutes. In reverse osmosis, water is forced to permeate the semipermeable membrane using pressure. While the osmosis process moves the clean water towards contaminated water, reverse osmosis moves do the opposite. The process moves the clean water from the contaminated side, separating toxic elements from the water and making it safe drinkable water.
How Does Reverse Osmosis Work?
As mentioned earlier, reverse osmosis uses force to permeate the semipermeable membrane, i.e. solutes. Reverse osmosis takes advantage of such pressure to force the water through a semipermeable membrane. When the water passes through the semipermeable membrane, all the impurities and toxic elements are left behind in the membrane. The process ensures you obtain clean, safe drinking water, even from the tap! However, contaminated water has to go through approximately seven filtration stages in RO systems to ensure the water is clean.
Where Is Reverse Osmosis Used?
The process of reverse osmosis is common for domestic and industrial uses. In a domestic context, reverse osmosis is used to filter contaminated water and obtain clean water for households. RO systems are one of the most preferred water purification choices for homeowners. They assure that the water has gone through the necessary filtration stages and is safe enough to drink. Such water filtration systems are also used to treat groundwater. In an industrial context, reverse osmosis is used for several purposes, such as seawater purification, mining, agriculture, food manufacturing, crop irrigation, and more. With reverse osmosis, you can rest assured about the safety and quality of drinkable water.
What Does Reverse Osmosis Remove?
Most filtration methods are unable to remove harmful contaminants from water. However, RO can successfully remove such toxic elements from any water – from groundwater to tap water. Here are some of the contaminants and chemicals RO systems can remove from water:
| Arsenic | Mercury |
| Harmful bacteria (such as cryptosporidium) | Nickel |
| Cadmium | Nitrates |
| Chloride | Perchlorate |
| Chromium-6 | Phosphate |
| Cyanide | Potassium |
| Fluoride | Selenium |
| Iron | Sodium |
| Lead | Zinc |
| Manganese |
Most RO systems also have activated carbon filters that remove chlorine, trihalomethanes, and VOCs from water. By removing such contaminants and toxic chemicals, RO systems offer you high-quality and safe drinking water.
What Are The Benefits of Using RO Systems?
- Reduces the chances of health complications
- Provides high-quality, clean, and safe drinking water
- Remove chemicals, contaminants, odour, and bad taste
- Easy to install and low maintenance
- Suitable for both domestic and industrial use
If you are looking for high-quality reverse osmosis in Australia, then get in touch with us. We are one of the leading experts on wastewater plant and reverse osmosis systems in Australia. We supply, install, and service robust reverse osmosis desalination plants throughout Australia.
To know more about our reverse osmosis options and water treatment plant, call us on +61 89459 6280 today.
