Osmosis systems, also known as reverse osmosis systems (RO systems)
are water filtration systems that are based on the principle of reverse osmosis. Osmosis is a physical phenomenon in which solvent (usually water) diffuses through a semi-permeable membrane to equalize a concentration gradient. Reverse osmosis reverses this process to remove impurities from the water.A typical reverse osmosis system consists of several components:
1. A pre-filtration:
This step removes coarse contaminants such as sand, mud, rust and sediment from the raw water. This helps extend the life of the reverse osmosis membrane.
2. The reverse osmosis membrane:
This is the heart of the facility. The membrane is a semi-permeable barrier that only allows water molecules to pass through while retaining contaminants such as salts, heavy metals, bacteria and organic matter.
3. A pressure vessel:
Water is pressurized against the reverse osmosis membrane to initiate the osmosis process.
4. A Rejected Water Drain:
While pure water flows through the membrane and is used for drinking water or other applications, there is also rejected water that contains the retained contaminants and is drained away.
5. A storage tank or without a tank:
The purified water is stored in a tank to be available when needed. For health reasons, tankless reverse osmosis systems are much safer than systems with a storage tank. Germs and bacteria can form in the storage tank!
Reverse osmosis systems are often used for drinking water filtration in homes, offices and other environments to provide clean and drinkable water.
They are able to remove many impurities very effectively and offer high water quality.