What is Reverse Osmosis System (RO)?

Reverse Osmosis (RO) Water Filtration System was researched and developed to produce fresh water from seawater using government funding during the 1950's. By purifying water at the molecular level, even liquids like whisky, coffee, and urine can be purified into fresh water by the reverse osmosis process. This Reverse Osmosis System has been used by NASA, the U.S. military and the United Nations. On islands with little rainfall, large scale RO plants are utilized to secure water for daily use.

During natural osmosis, water flows from a less concentrated solution through a semi-permeable membrane (Porous Membrane) to a more concentrated saline solution until the concentration of water is equal on both sides. As water passes through the membrane, the pressure on the less concentrated solution drops. Simultaneously, the pressure of the more concentrated solution rises until equilibrium is reached, halting the flow of water through the membrane.

Reverse osmosis uses external pressure to reverse the natural osmotic flow. As pressure is applied to the saline solution, water flows from the more concentrated saline solution through a Porous Membrane to the less concentrated solution.

Reverse Osmosis results in the purest drinking water possible. The membrane is a dense material, allowing only molecules of water to be forced through the artificial thin film. The pre and post filters are effectively combined with the RO membrane to help purify the water and the incidence of poisonous substances in tap water is reduced drastically.

The large differences between general filtration systems and the Reverse Osmosis system are highlighted in the following table.

Approximate Ion Rejection Rates by Reverse Osmosis System

A major feature of the RO system is that the pores (0.0001 microns) in the RO membrane will not get fouled with impurities because it is constantly drained off by the more concentrated waste water.  Moreover, the concentrations of substances such as miscellaneous germs (pathogenic living bacteria/viruses), trihalomethane (carcinogen), agricultural chemicals and environmental pollutants like heavy metals are thoroughly reduced by the super-minute pores of 0.0001 microns.