The Reverse Osmosis process explained.
Reverse Osmosis is a process that
is used to remove a wide range of salts and contaminants
to give water of a very high purity.
Osmosis is a
natural process involving a fluid flow across a
semi-permeable membrane. It is known as the process
by which most nutrients feed the cells in our bodies
and how water gets to the leaves and branches at
the top of trees.
If you separate any solution of
salts from pure water using a basic thin semi-permeable
membrane not unlike a sausage skin, the pure water
passes through the membrane and tries to dilute
the salt solution. If the salt solution is connected
to a vertical pipe then the progressively diluted
solution will fill the pipe until the 'osmotic pressure'
drawing the pure water though the membrane is the
same as the head pressure of the diluted solution.
This process can be reversed - hence 'Reverse Osmosis'
By applying a higher pressure to the salt solution.
Pure water will then pass the other way through
the reverse osmosis membrane in a process that is
easy to visualize as 'filtration' where the filter
will only let through the small water molecules
and retain almost all of the other molecules and
other contaminants.
This means that water containing
a high level of natural salts can be purified without
the need for chemical regenerates such as the acid
and caustic used in demineralization plants. Reverse
Osmosis is therefore considered a much safer route
of producing pure water for many residential commercial
and industrial applications, and additionally the
plant does not need to be taken out of service for
regeneration as a Demineralisation plant does.
Rejection
rates of salts from water is generally in the region
of 95-99.5% dependent upon the membrane type used
and the raw water feed quality. With improvements
in membrane technology reverse osmosis effiency
is constantly improving.
Reverse osmosis systems
can be designed to utilise the wide range of membranes
available, which will give different permeate water
qualities. Standard designed reverse osmosis units
are manufactured utilising the Low Energy Membranes
which will give a permeate water quality of approx.
10 microsiemens from an input water of between 500-700
microsiemens.
| Domestic Reverse Osmosis Range |
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IWE Ireland have a commissioned a website dedicated to domestic reverse osmosis systems.
Click here to view |
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| Besoke Commercial Range |
Along with our standard range IWE Ireland also offer bespoke commercial reverse osmosis units including double pass, RO with CDI and heated permeate systems.
Please contact our sales team for more information |
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| Pretreatment Plant |
We offer as standard both reverse osmosis pretreatment units and combined pretreatment and ro units.
All our pretreatment equipment matches the design of the ro units making the installation of the plant straight forward. Modules for the units vary depending on inccoming water conditions.
Please contact our sales team for more information |
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