RO Water Purifiers are everywhere and are synonymous with pure drinking water. But what is RO, and how has it revolutionized healthcare as we know it? RO stands for Reverse Osmosis. Before we get into understanding Reverse Osmosis, let us understand ‘Osmosis.’ Surprisingly, Osmosis is not some fancy Science term that we use in the labs. Osmosis is a very natural phenomenon that occurs well within our bodies and around nature. The most common example of Osmosis is the purification of blood done by our Kidneys. Also, the plants absorb water from the soil through the process of Osmosis. Technically, Osmosis is the process by which the weaker saline solution ‘moves’ to the strong saline solution through a semi-permeable membrane.
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How Do RO Works?
The process of Reverse Osmosis occurs by the application of pressure through a ‘pump.’ This is applied on the ‘impure’ or the ‘salt-rich side of the water. The process ensures the subsequent removal of Sediments, Chlorine, and pure water is left behind. Filters included in a Reverse Osmosis water purifier:
Each machine consists of a Sediment filter, carbon filter along the RO membrane. The water purifier system might comprise either prefilters or post-filters; this is according to when the water travels across the filters.
Let us take a look at the stages of Reverse Osmosis:
1. Prefiltration
This stage consists of a Carbon filter and Sediment filter, which is designed to remove Chlorine and Sediments which can damage or clog the RO membrane.
2. Reverse Osmosis Membrane
At this stage, the dissolved particles too small to be detected by the electron microscope are also removed.
3. Storage Tank
Now, the ‘purified water’ is allowed to flow into the storage tank where it is stored as required.
4. Postfilter
As the user turns on the water faucet, the water undergoes the post-filtering stage through another filter and then flows through the faucet into your glass.
What Are The Different Types of Filters?
Filter type goes a long way in determining the purity of the water. Usually, the filtration system comprises of 3,4 or 5 stages of a filter.
Some of the most common types of filters are:
- Sediment Filter: Helps filter out dust, dirt, and rust.
- Semi-Permeable Membrane: helps remove around 98% of total dissolved solids (TDS)
- Carbon Filter: Helps in the removal of Volatile organic compounds (VOC), contaminants, Chlorine, and other particles that give a bad taste to the water.
The harmful solids and particles that are removed through the process of Reverse Osmosis are:
- Arsenic
- Fluoride
- Salt
- Sediments
- VOC
- Herbicides
- Pesticides
Note: The RO system does not remove living bacteria and Viruses in the water.
What Are The Benefits Of a Reverse Osmosis System?
RO has grown to be successful in ensuring safe drinking water across various places, both urban and rural. Let us take a look at some of the advantages of Reverse Osmosis (RO):
- The dissolved contaminant particles are greatly reduced.
- Percentage of Sodium reduced.
- The water tastes good after filtration from RO.
- The process of purification of water from RO is relatively more eco-friendly as compared to bottled drinking water.
- The process of installation is very simple.
- Can also be fixed under the sink.
Reverse Osmosis: Why It Matters?
RO is a great way to embark on your journey to good health. Nevertheless, there have been certain aspects of the system that have been nothing short of revolutionary:
RO water purification and the Planet: The wastewater or the ‘brine’ that is released from the water that needs to be filtered. This way, the amount of water that is utilized and filtered is a ‘considered’ quantity. Study shows that water filtration helps conserve water and reduces the amount that could otherwise be wasted.
RO and the Plastic debate: Utilising filtered water is a great way to reduce the use of plastics. Once you get used to utilizing filtered water, you can let go of the use of plastic bottled water. This way, we can do our bit in reducing the amount of plastic that goes into the ecosystem.
RO and your Pocket: It helps save in every which way. The analysis clearly shows that utilizing the RO water purification system is much cheaper as compared to other safe drinking sources.
RO and You: Of course, clean drinking water is the ultimate luxury to good health. Just ensuring that your water is safe from contamination, impurities, dirt is a wonderful start to a healthy lifestyle. According to EPA, the TDS of a certain water source/body should not exceed 500 parts per million. RO ensures that the TDS of your drinking water stays well within this limit.
Ro Water Purifiers: The Cons
What are the disadvantages of RO water purifiers? Let us examine:
- Removal of essential minerals: certain minerals like Magnesium, Iron, and Calcium are also removed in the process of purification.
- Water Wastage: A certain amount of water is wasted in the process of purification.
- RO is not effective in removing the living microorganisms from the water. This can lead to illness and diseases.
- When the Membrane breaks: You will never know. And will continue to consume the water, assuming it is safe.
- Also, the time taken for the purification of water to take place is longer as compared to the other filtration methods.
Calculation Of Salt Rejection Percentage
Through this equation, one can easily estimate just how effective is the RO water purifier. This is the calculation of the overall calculation of the system; it should be 95%- 99% in the case of a good RO water purifier system.
Salt rejection = Conductivity of Feedwater – Conductivity of Permeate water ___________________________________________________ X 100 Conductivity of Feed
The higher the Salt rejection, the better is the performance.
The Reverse Osmosis System
A reverse Osmosis system is differentiated into Stage1 and Stage 2:
Stage 1: Reverse Osmosis System: This is the simple system where the feedwater enters from the stream and exits through the other stream as permeate water.
Stage 2: Reverse Osmosis System: In this type, as the water is rejected from the first stream, it joins the feed source of the second stage. This way, with the additional stage, the recovery is also increased.
Reverse Osmosis: Maintenance
Just like any other machine, the maintenance of the RO water purifiers is also vital. With due course of time, certain issues start to occur within the system, such as:
Fouling: This occurs as the contaminants start to accumulate over the membrane surface, thus, plugging it in the process and rendering it ineffective.
Scaling: This occurs when the inorganic compounds exceed their solubility limits and start to precipitate on the membranes as a layer of ‘scales.’ This results in pressure drop and high salt passage across the membrane.
Mechanical Damage: There are times when the ‘mechanics’ of the Reverse Osmosis water purifier system can occur. The common reasons are too much backpressure or ‘hard starts’. The best way to deal with this issue is to install Check Valves or Pressure relief valves.
Some Important Tips For Maintenance Of Reverse Osmosis Water Purifier
- Makes sure to change the RO membrane once every 3-5 months for best results.
- It is necessary to replace the filters every three months.
- Change of the Sediment Filter is important at least once a year.
- Change the Carbon filter once a year.
- Check for drips and leakages to ensure optimum performance.
- Sanitize the pipes of your RO system goes a long way in ensuring good results for years to come.
- Annual maintenance is a vital step in ensuring you get the best out of your RO water purifier system.
Conclusion
Reverse Osmosis(RO) water purifiers have grown to be an important part of our lifestyle. However, it is important that as responsible users, we need to maintain our machines just as well. Timely repairs, monitoring, and annual maintenance are important for ensuring that we derive the best of benefits from the water purifier. It is estimated that with careful maintenance, the RO system can last for about 10 to 15 years.
Also Read: RO V UV VS UF – Water Purifiers