Industrial Uses for Reverse Osmosis (RO) Systems

Reverse Osmosis (RO) is the process of purifying water through the movement of water through a semipermeable membrane when direct pressure is applied to one side of the membrane. Reverse Osmosis is one of the most effective technologies for removing unwanted contaminants and impurities from water by keeping out bigger molecules such as ionized dissolved salts.

Reverse Osmosis is used to reverse the natural process of osmosis. Osmosis is the natural tendency of water with dissolved salts to pass through a membrane from a lower salt concentration to find a higher salt concentration. Plants use this process to absorb water and its nutrients while humans and other animals use it to absorb water from blood. 

Reverse Osmosis systems continuously operate to instead reverse this process. Reverse Osmosis systems use continuous pressure, usually from some sort of pump, to force the feedwater with impurities and ionized salts through a highly-sophisticated membrane that removes the impurities, ending with highly purified water. The impure concentrate left behind is collected above the membrane and is then passed from the system to drain or onto other processes. RO systems also use cross-filtration. This is where the feedwater crosses the filter with two outlets: the purified water flows one way while the contaminated water goes another way. Cross-filtration allows water to sweep away the contaminants while also using enough water pressure to keep the membrane clean. Industrial applications of Reverse Osmosis generally end with 75% of the feedwater being purified, while in applicants where water conservation is important 85% can be purified.

Industrial Reverse Osmosis systems do this on a much larger scale. There are often three to five stages taking place in the entire process of Reverse Osmosis. A three-stage system consists of a sediment filter, a carbon filter and a semipermeable membrane. A four-stage system adds another membrane to filter out contaminants that the first membrane might have missed. The five-stage system adds a final post-filtration step that passes the feedwater through a carbon filter to remove any lingering contaminants. Some five-stage Reverse Osmosis systems also have a remineralization stage that will return beneficial minerals lost during the original process.

Industrial Reverse Osmosis systems tend to work in five basic steps. The first step is prefiltration. This consists of sending the feedwater through two pre filters that are in all Reverse Osmosis systems. The first is a sediment filter that removes particles like dust, dirt, and rust. The second filter is made of activated carbon and removes substances like chlorine and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The second step is the actual  Reverse Osmosis. At this point in the process, the continuous pump sends the feedwater through the semipermeable membrane that will trap the smaller, harder to detect molecules of impurities. This step removes the vast majority of dissolved solids in the feedwater. Next comes the drainage step. This is when the impurities are collected and drained out of the feedwater. This step makes sure to keep the membrane clean and clear, allowing for more feedwater to be purified and keeping the RO system’s efficiency high. The final step consists of storing the purified water. The water is usually stored in a pressurized vessel large enough to contain the purified water until it is ready to be used. The water may also flow through a final carbon filter to catch any missed impurities.

If you have any questions about Industrial Reverse Osmosis systems don’t hesitate to contact your experts at Complete Water Solutions!

Complete Water Solutions is your premier solution to water filtration. We support many different industries and are ready to help with your water filtration today! 

Since water is used for the majority of manufacturing applications Reverse Osmosis systems are used in many industries. Count on Complete Water Solutions whether you are in the restaurant, medical, or laboratory industry. We also support electroplating and rinse baths and parts washing/powder coating. Complete Water Solutions supports each of these industries with commercial or industrial applications

Industrial Reverse Osmosis systems can be beneficial to each of these industries.

The restaurant, medical, and laboratory fields are all specifically regulated when it comes to water. A Reverse Osmosis system is the best way to achieve highly purified water that you don’t have to worry about. This includes clean food or drinking water and water that is consistently purified for diagnosis and treatments.

When it comes to parts washing and powder coating Complete Water Solutions understands how important it is to have reliable, pure water. An industrial Reverse Osmosis system is the perfect way to achieve this. We guarantee clean water when using our Reverse Osmosis systems.

Electroplating and rinse baths also have specific water requirements when it comes to deionized water. Here at Complete Water Solutions we stay up to date with the specifications and understand how to best support this. In most cases the best option is using a Reverse Osmosis system to properly deionize and purify the water.

Complete Water Systems provides Reverse Osmosis systems that are able to achieve these results. Contact us today to get started on a system that fits your specific budget and needs!