Understanding Reverse Osmosis (RO)
Reverse Osmosis is the opposite of Osmosis, where osmosis is a natural process when two fluids with different concentrations are separated by a semipermeable membrane, so the fluid has a tendency to move from low concentration to soluble substance with high concentration for its chemical balance potential. Whereas “Reverse Osmosis is the process of forcing a solvent from a high soluble concentration area through a semipermeable membrane into a low soluble concentrate by applying pressure beyond osmotic pressure.”
So “water treatment with ReverseOsmosis (RO) or Reverse Osmosis is a high-concentrated water treatment system through semipermeable membranes to low-concentration (dilute) water due to osmotic pressure”.
Reverse Osmosis is a filtering method that can filter out large molecules and ions from a solution by applying pressure to the solution when the solution is on one side of the selection membrane (filter layer). The process makes the solute settle in the pressure flowing layer so that the pure solvent can flow to the next layer.
The selection membrane must be selective or be able to sort out, which means that the solvent can be passed (or a smaller portion of the solution) but cannot be passed by solutes such as large molecules and ions.
Application of Reverse Osmosis Technology
Until now, water treatment using Reverse Osmosis (RO) membrane technology has been widely used / applied, including:
– Processing salt water (brackish water) or sea water into fresh water called desalination, which can produce clean water and even drinking water, where the water is free of bacteria.
– Purification of Drinking Water: Reverse Osmosis (RO) has been widely used throughout the world for the purification (filter) of dirty water into clean water (drinking water) for daily use (household).
– Water and Wastewater Purification: In Los Angeles and other cities in developed countries, Reverse Osmosis (RO) technology is used in the purification of rainwater collected from storm surges for landscape irrigation and the cooling industry as a solution to the problem of water shortages.
– Food Industry: Reverse Osmosis (RO) has also been used in the food industry such as research on the concentration of orange juice and tomato juice, as well as in the dairy industry for the production of whey protein powder and for milk concentration. Using RO turns out to be a member of benefits in terms of low operating costs.
– Car Wash: Reverse Osmosis (RO) water has often been used also in washing cars in the final rinse to prevent water spots on vehicles, because with water treatment using this RO technology can produce pure water with low mineral content.
– Syrup Industry: In Canada, North America Reverse Osmosis (RO) is also used in the Maple Syrup Industry, which is in the processing of roomie into syrup (liquid sugar), where roomie is separated from its pure water. And the result of this RO process is a high quality product.
And many more uses of Reverse Osmosis (RO) or Reverse Osmosis technology that has been applied throughout the world.
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