Reverse osmosis (RO) is a water treatment process that utilises a semi-permeable membrane to remove impurities from water. It is a simple, safe, and cost-effective method that eliminates a host of contaminants such as dissolved solids, organics, bacteria, and pyrogens. By employing this technology, high-purity water can be obtained for a wide range of industrial and laboratory applications.
How Does Reverse Osmosis Work?
Reverse osmosis uses a semi-permeable membrane to remove impurities from water. It works by applying pressure to the water, forcing it through the membrane and only allowing water molecules to pass through, whilst contaminants are retained.
- Pre-filtration: Before the water enters the RO membrane, it goes through a pre-filter to remove larger particles such as sediment, rust, and chlorine.
- Membrane: The water is then forced through a semi-permeable membrane with tiny pores that only allow water molecules to pass through. This process removes impurities such as bacteria, viruses, and dissolved solids.
- Post-filtration: After passing through the membrane, the water often goes through a post-filter to remove any remaining impurities.
- Storage: The purified water is then stored in a tank until it is ready to be used.
- Polishing: Some reverse osmosis systems also have a polishing stage, where the water goes through an ultra- or micro-filter to remove any residual contaminants.
What are the Benefits of Reverse Osmosis Water Treatment?
- Versatile treatment capability: Reverse osmosis systems can effectively treat a wide range of feed water types, ensuring reliable water quality across various industrial applications.
- Cost-effective and energy-efficient: These systems offer lower operating costs and improved energy efficiency, thanks to their ability to run at ambient temperatures for optimal performance.
- Enhanced safety: By minimising the need for hazardous chemicals, reverse osmosis technology improves workplace safety and reduces the risks associated with transporting, storing, and handling such substances.
- Space-saving design: With their compact footprint, reverse osmosis systems take up minimal valuable space, making them ideal for installations where space is limited.
- Continuous operation: The absence of regeneration downtime allows for uninterrupted operation, ensuring a consistent supply of treated water without interruptions or delays.
- Easy installation: Often designed as skid-mounted units, reverse osmosis systems are simple to install, minimising installation time and effort.
- Integration flexibility: These systems can be easily integrated with other water treatment systems, allowing for comprehensive and customised solutions tailored to specific industrial requirements.
- User-friendly operation and maintenance: Equipped with integrated PLC control systems and cleaning-in-place routines, reverse osmosis technology is designed for simplified operation and maintenance, reducing complexity and ensuring system longevity.
What Markets Use Reverse Osmosis Water Treatment?
Reverse osmosis systems are utilised across a wide range of industries and markets. These include:
Pharmaceuticals: RO systems are crucial for producing high-purity water used in drug manufacturing, water for injection and more. Our Orion is a skid-mounted, multi-technology purified water system that is fully validated and compliant with FDA, cGMP, and GAMP requirements. It is an ideal choice for pharmaceutical companies in need of reliable and high-quality purified water solutions.
Healthcare: RO is widely employed across a range of healthcare processes. We have meticulously developed a diverse range of RO systems, each intricately designed to cater to the differing processes within the healthcare market. These RO systems include the Modula for renal dialysis, the Osiris for sterile services and the Thermapure decontamination. Read more.
Food & Beverage: RO technology plays a vital role in producing purified water for beverage manufacturing, food processing, and ingredient preparation. By removing contaminants and impurities from the water, RO technology guarantees that the final products meet the stringent requirements of governing industry bodies and maintain consistent purity and taste. Our NURION™ is a compliant reverse osmosis (RO) system that produces high-quality ingredient water for the food and beverage industry.
Municipal: RO is a key process in desalination plants, where it removes salt and other impurities from seawater to produce freshwater for drinking and irrigation purposes. Our Sirion™ Seawater has been specifically designed to treat seawater by rejecting over 99% of the salt contained within the feed water.
Industrial: Many industries require high-quality water for their specific processes, such as electronics manufacturing or power generation. RO systems provide the necessary purification to meet these requirements. Our TERION range removes over 99.9% of dissolved inorganics, producing the highest specification of process water.
RO systems also aid in the recovery of wastewater by purifying it for reuse in various industrial and agricultural applications. Models in our Sirion™ range can also achieve wastewater recovery.
Reverse osmosis is a highly effective water treatment process that offers numerous benefits across various industries. Understanding its principles, applications, and advantages can help businesses make informed decisions when it comes to water purification. Here at Veolia Water Technologies, we are committed to providing reliable and efficient reverse osmosis systems that cater to your unique requirements.
If you have any questions or would like to explore how reverse osmosis systems can benefit your site, don't hesitate to contact our experts here.
