What are the common contaminants removed by a commercial RO plant?

 In its most basic form, reverse osmosis (RO) is a pressure-driven membrane diffusion process. In actual use, RO membranes keep 95–99% of the dissolved solutes (both organic and inorganic) into the concentrate, while the permeate may be thought of as high-quality water.

A semi-permeable membrane is used in the water purification process known as reverse osmosis (RO). It's hard to call this membrane technology a filtering technique. In reverse osmosis, osmotic pressure—a cooperative feature governed by chemical potential, a thermodynamic parameter—is overpowered by an applied pressure. Reverse osmosis, which is utilised in both industrial operations and the creation of drinkable water, may filter out various kinds of molecules and ions from solutions using a semi-permeable membrane.

The most well-known use of reverse osmosis is the filtration of drinking water from saltwater and other contaminated water sources that include viruses and compounds such metal ions, lead, arsenic, fluoride, radium, magnesium, potassium, sulphate, nitrate, fluoride, and phosphorus. There is no such difference in the removal of these contaminants from water by a commercial RO plant. Every RO plant works on the same basic principle, and is equally efficient in removing them. The difference can be articulated by employing other equipment of our own choice to the basic RO plant.

Although organisations like BIS, ISO, the Ministry of Drinking Water & Sanitation, the Government of India, and others have established criteria for the quality of drinking water, there are none for the selection of an acceptable or sufficient water purification system. According to IRWM Annexure 5.2 Paragraph 531 (physical and chemical requirements) and Indian Standard - Drinking water - Specification (First Revision) IS: 10500 - 2012, the standards for drinking water quality are as follows:

Reverse osmosis membranes successfully remove up to 99% of all pollutants and impurities from drinking water, including total dissolved solids, chemicals, bacteria, and viruses, thanks to their small pores (less than 0.0001 micron in size). Reverse osmosis systems utilise anti-microbial filters to filter out undesirable colours, tastes, and smells from water.

In compared to other systems, reverse osmosis systems are particularly successful in eliminating viruses, bacteria, and protozoa. Reverse osmosis systems may also decrease and eliminate other common chemical pollutants, including as arsenic, radium, fluoride, sulphate, calcium, magnesium, nitrate, potassium, and phosphorus, as well as metal ions and aqueous salts like chloride, sodium, copper, chromium, and lead.

Although an RO system shouldn't be depended upon to completely eradicate bacteria and viruses, reverse osmosis is capable of eliminating up to 99%+ of the dissolved salts (ions), particles, colloids, bacteria, organics, and pyrogens/pathogens from the feed water. Impurities are eliminated by reverse osmosis using two different processes. One is based on ions' electrical charge, which makes them resistant to passage.

Ionic contaminants are eliminated by means of this technique. If a molecule has an ionic charge, it will be rejected, even if it is the smallest. The effectiveness of elimination by this method ranges from 96 to 99%, although it also relies on the specific membrane and ionic charge.

The ultrafiltration effect, which is based on the microscopic pores of the reverse osmosis membranes acting as molecular filters, is the other method of impurity removal. The molecular threshold lies between 14 and 20 nanometers. Any contaminant with a molecular size that is greater than the cut-off point will be virtually entirely rejected. Any contaminant with a molecular weight below the cut-off threshold will nearly entirely pass through. Few organic molecules are smaller than 14–20 nanometers in size. Methanol, formic acid, formaldehyde, and ethanol are among examples.

Many gases, including carbon dioxide, methane, hydrogen sulphide, and ethane that are not ionised (charged) and also have relatively low molecular weight will pass via reverse osmosis because the RO membrane rejects pollutants based on their size and charge.

Any impurity with a molecular weight larger than 200 is probably rejected by a RO system that is functioning properly. The permeate water may have a slightly lower pH level depending on the CO2 levels in the input water as the CO2 is converted to carbonic acid since a RO system does not remove gases. Additionally, RO does not remove all solvents, pesticides, or volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

Why choose Netsol!

Commercial RO plants are a fantastic tool for any producer, especially since nutrient solutions can be calculated, regulated, and reproduced for uniformity across a variety of crops. A commercial RO plant can deliver a quick return on investment even if it is sometimes a costly initial expenditure. Call +91-9650608473 for more assistance, questions, or product orders, or send an email to enquiry@netsolwater.com