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To fully understand the technology of Reverse Osmosis, it is a must to understand
normal osmosis. Osmosis is a natural process that occurs in all living things. For
instance, osmosis permits water and nutrients absorption through the root system of
plants; similarly, nutrition is assimilated from blood to cells in human bodies. So, if a
semi-permeable membrane separates a dilute solution and a concentrated solution,
pure water will flow from dilute to the concentrated side and will try to balance the
concentrations on both sides. This phenomenon is called Osmosis.
The RO membrane is not permeable to dissolved salts and only pure water can move
across a RO membrane. If pressure is applied to the concentrated solution side, the
flow of water across a membrane can be reversed. This phenomenon of moving pure
water across a membrane from a high TDS solution is called as Reverse-Osmosis.
Hence in Reverse Osmosis, as the water exerts pressure on a semi-permeable
membrane, the purified (or permeate) part enters through the pores of the
membrane, while the rejected (or concentrate) is diverted to the drain. When the
diameter of the pores is as low as 0.0001 microns, pure water and a little quantity
of minerals (sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium, etc) can pass through;
while other substances (such as dissolved solids, bacteria, viruses, metals, pesticides,
chemical products, etc) are rejected during the process. This gives you clean and safe
drinking water for consumption.
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THE TECHNOLOGY IN YOUR PURIFIER: RO
