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.
THE TECHNOLOGY IN YOUR PURIFIER : RO
2
Feed Water
RO
Membrane
Pure Water
Drain Water
Water
Pressure
2
