Reverse Osmosis Water purification

Reverse osmosis MEMBRANE TECHNOLOGY purification

Reverse osmosis (RO) is the same technology that is used to purify millions of bottles of water annually. It is sold in your local grocery and convenience stores as Dasani, Aquafina, and a host of other brands. RO is a membrane based technology that has been used for decades as a reliable and safe way to purify water. It was initially developed and used as a method to desalinate sea water and is still used worldwide for this purpose. The success of this technology evolved to smaller systems where you can now significantly upgrade the drinking water in your home or business.

reverse osmosis purification

How it Works

A Reverse Osmosis system works by forcing water against a synthetic membrane filled with microscopic holes through which only purified water can pass. The pore sizes are actually smaller than a bacteria or even a virus (see diagram at right). Impurities are trapped on one side of the membrane and are diverted away to drain, while the purified water moves through it and into a pressurized storage tank. The storage tank and purification system can be installed either under the kitchen sink or in the basement with a line feeding the purified water up to a separately installed faucet. The setup is easy and you don’t have to worry about rebuilding or permanently moving cabinets to accommodate the system. It’s like having your own mini bottled water factory, without the bottles. See the following link for more detail on the science behind the technology,  see How reverse-osmosis works.

reverse osmosis filtration
whole house reverse osmosis

As mentioned earlier, RO was originally invented for desalinating sea water and is increasingly being used for this purpose today worldwide. (System on the left is a whole house reverse osmosis system installed at point of entry in a home experiencing salt water intrusion into their private well).

Reverse Osmosis systems are used throughout the world to support the increasing fresh water needs of growing populations both domestically and internationally.