Simply stated, commercial reverse osmosis is a high-tech method for purifying or filtering water. To understand the benefits of commercial reverse osmosis, it first helps to understand how the process works.
Osmosis is the natural process by which water with a low concentration of dissolved minerals flows through a semipermeable membrane into water with a higher concentration of dissolved minerals. Natural osmotic pressure results in the water traveling from the side where the water is “clean” over to the “dirty”, or more mineral-contaminated side of the membrane.
During commercial reverse osmosis, man-induced pressure is used to overcome the natural osmotic pressure of water and force the water with a higher concentration of dissolved minerals through the semipermeable membrane and into the “clean” side.
As the “dirty” water is pressurized against the membrane, 98% or more of the dissolved minerals (ions) remain on the “dirty” side of the membrane and are thus separated from the “clean” water, which passes through the membrane.
Learn more about the process of commercial reverse osmosis.
There are several key benefits of using reverse osmosis for commercial water treatment.
Benefits of Reverse Osmosis for Commercial Water Treatment
Water Purity
Commercial reverse osmosis water filtration systems produce water that is relatively pure and free from: suspended solids, dissolved minerals, organic carbon, chemicals, viruses, bacteria, and parasites. Reverse osmosis can remove particles down to 0.0001 micron when used for commercial water treatment.
Environmentally Friendly
Commercial reverse osmosis systems do not produce or employ the use of harsh chemicals during the purification process and require minimal power to operate. Since reverse osmosis does not use expensive and hazardous chemicals, it has replaced ion exchange demineralization in many commercial applications, such as for the pretreatment of: boiler feedwater, process water, rinse water and in laboratories.
Cost Effective
Most commercial reverse osmosis systems employ only the most highly efficient pumps. With rapid developments in membrane technology over the past several decades, reverse osmosis has become one of the most cost-efficient technologies for deionizing water, reducing the load on polishing demineralizers (if required for further ion reduction) by as much as 98%. In addition, because reverse osmosis relies on few moving parts, commercial reverse osmosis systems require minimal maintenance when water is properly treated upstream.
Money Saving
Commercial reverse osmosis is incredibly powerful and reliable. Water purified through reverse osmosis will minimize mineral scaling, fouling and spotting, result in higher equipment operating efficiencies, reduce waste, and minimize boiler “blowdown”. Commercial reverse osmosis is also frequently utilized to recover wastewater, which is recycled for use in other processes.
Technological advances in reverse osmosis ensure that it is both conveniently accessible and easily manageable for commercial water treatment applications.
WaterProfessionals® specializes in providing reverse osmosis systems to meet a variety of industrial and commercial needs. Contact us today for assistance in selecting the right reverse osmosis system for your commercial water treatment application.