Reverse Osmosis Filtration is the process of filtering a liquid through a semi-permeable membrane that will block dissolved matter. During osmosis, which is a natural process, fluid moves from a lower solute concentration to a higher solute concentration to counterbalance the chemicals.
Reverse osmosis has become a regular occurrence across the globe recently in order to produce pure water from sea water to counteract the water shortages that are being experienced across the globe due to global warming and changing weather conditions.
The reverse osmosis process basically works as follows:
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Salt water is passed through a waterproof/breathable fabric membrane made from cellular acetate;
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Applied pressure of 50-60 bars to the saltwater of the tank overcomes osmotic pressure, resulting in the removal of various ions and molecules;
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The solute (in this case mainly salt) remains on the pressurised side of the membrane and the pure water flows through to the other side;
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Reverse osmosis makes use of a diffusive mechanism which depends on solute concentration, water flux rate and pressure;
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The movement of the pure water is driven, thereby ensuring that the solute concentrations on either side of the membrane are equalised and thereby generating osmotic pressure.
Reverse osmosis has been used for years in simple in water filters that campers and hikers make use of in order to filter pollutants out of river water and make it safe enough for washing and drinking.
Reverse osmosis has also been used in the purifying of rainwater collected from storm drains and used for industrial cooling and landscape irrigation.
Another regular use of reverse osmosis is at power plants, where it is used to remove minerals from boiler water and in the cleaning of effluent and brackish water.
There are currently quite a few large reverse osmosis seawater plants around the world, including in Australia, California, Malta, and India that are quite effectively changing seawater into fresh drinking water.
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