Reverse osmosis

Reverse Osmosis is a water purification process that uses a semi-permeable membrane to remove a wide range of impurities and contaminants present in water. This system is widely used in various settings, both commercial and domestic, due to its ability to produce high-quality water free from harmful substances.

It is based on the natural principle of osmosis. Osmosis occurs when a solvent, in this case water, flows from a diluted solution through a membrane into a more concentrated solution. Reverse osmosis, on the other hand, reverses this process by applying pressure to water with a higher concentration of solutes and forcing it through a semi-permeable membrane.

How Reverse Osmosis Works

The reverse osmosis process is carried out in a system composed of several stages, each designed to remove different types of contaminants and improve water quality. Below, we briefly explain how this process works:

• Pretreatment: Water passes through a sediment filter to remove large particles, such as sand, mud, and suspended sediments. Then, an activated carbon filter is used to remove chlorine, organic compounds, and unwanted odours.
• Reverse Osmosis Membranes: The pretreated water is forced through a series of semi-permeable membranes. These membranes can retain most of the contaminants present in the water, including salts, minerals, heavy metals, chemicals, and microorganisms. The purified water passes through the membranes, while the contaminants are discarded.
• Post-treatment: After passing through the reverse osmosis membranes, the purified water may go through a remineralisation stage to balance its mineral content and improve its taste.

Additionally, additional filters, such as activated carbon filters or ultraviolet light, can be used to remove any residual contaminants and ensure the highest water quality.

Advantages of Reverse Osmosis

Reverse osmosis offers several significant advantages compared to other water filtration systems. Some of the main advantages are:

Pure and Healthy Water

Reverse osmosis removes the vast majority of contaminants present in water, ensuring the provision of pure and healthy water for drinking and cooking. It is especially beneficial for people with sensitive immune systems, such as young children, the elderly, or those with compromised immune systems.

Removal of Chemicals and Heavy Metals

Reverse osmosis is highly efficient in removing harmful chemicals, such as chlorine, lead, mercury, arsenic, and other heavy metals. This reduces the risk of exposure to these substances and their potential adverse health effects.

Reduction of Plastic Waste

By obtaining purified water at home with a reverse osmosis system, the need to purchase bottled water in plastic containers is reduced. This contributes to the reduction of plastic waste and environmental conservation.

Improved Taste and Aroma

Water purified through reverse osmosis has a fresh and pleasant taste, free from the unpleasant tastes and odours that may be present in tap water.

Versatility of Use

Reverse osmosis can be used anywhere pure water is needed, whether at home, the office, or in industry. Additionally, some reverse osmosis systems are designed for installation under the sink, saving space and allowing easy access to purified water.

Features of Reverse Osmosis

Reverse osmosis offers a range of features and benefits that make it a popular choice for water purification. Some of the main features of this system are:

• Effectiveness in Contaminant Removal: Reverse osmosis is highly effective in removing a wide range of contaminants, including sediments, bacteria, viruses, chemicals, salts, minerals, and heavy metals. This ensures that the water produced is of high quality and safe for human consumption.
• Improvement of Water Taste and Clarity: By removing contaminants that can affect the taste and appearance of water, reverse osmosis provides clearer and fresher water, without unpleasant odours or tastes.
• Versatile System: Reverse osmosis can be used in a wide variety of applications, from purifying drinking water at home to water treatment in industry and bottled water production. Additionally, there are reverse osmosis systems designed for different capacities and water flow needs.
• Easy Maintenance: Reverse osmosis systems are generally easy to maintain and operate. They require periodic changes of filters and membranes, but these processes are straightforward and do not require specialised technical knowledge.
• Long-term Savings: Although the initial installation of a reverse osmosis system may have a higher cost compared to other water filtration systems, it can be more economical in the long run. By obtaining high-quality water at home, the need to purchase bottled water is reduced, resulting in considerable long-term savings.

Reverse Osmosis Equipment

There are many types of Reverse Osmosis equipment, but we will detail the most common and best-selling ones so you can make the decision that best suits your needs. There are three types with different functionalities and characteristics among them to find the one that best fits your home.

Standard Reverse Osmosis

This is the common, economical, and easy-to-use system that operates hydraulically without needing to be connected to the electrical grid. It includes all the previously mentioned filters, and its filtration works through the water flow pressure itself.

Depending on the model, it may incorporate a tank with already filtered water if its features include it. With unsealed filters and the aim of obtaining the best possible water quality, these should be changed regularly according to their usage time.

Compact Reverse Osmosis

The Compact Reverse Osmosis system has many similarities to the standard one, with a better and more advanced design of the water filtration filters, as well as more economical maintenance and annual savings.

Depending on the reverse osmosis model, we may find additional features, such as water and pressure sensors, regulatory solenoid valves to improve filtration performance and quality water acquisition.

Direct Reverse Osmosis

The Direct Reverse Osmosis system is the most advanced and technologically sophisticated, incorporating two large osmotic membranes and a pump responsible for unifying the water inlet pressure according to the membrane capacity, allowing for more refined water filtration.

Thanks to this technology, it is not necessary to store water in a tank, as it purifies directly from the tap when water is demanded for human consumption. This system, without a tank or large filtration systems, can be installed almost anywhere due to its compact size.

What Reverse Osmosis Filters are Necessary?

Sediment Filter

This filter is responsible for the initial filtration of sediments present in the water and is specially designed to remove the bulkier dirt that could clog our Reverse Osmosis device. In the sediment filter for Reverse Osmosis, a high number of open micropores are concentrated to retain sediments large enough to filter the water in the next phase without causing problems, such as sand, rust particles, or similar substances suspended in the water.

Activated Carbon Filter

Once the primary filtration is completed, it's time to continue the water flow with the granular carbon filter, which stands out for its high porosity even finer than the sediment filter. Its goal is to eliminate or retain various chlorine particles, odours, tastes, phenol, and other organic contaminants in the water that may be present, ensuring the water has no taste or odour.

CTO Combined Activated Carbon Filter

After eliminating odours and tastes, in this third step with activated carbon again, various chlorine particles, pesticides, and all types of impurities harmful to human health will be removed.

Semi-permeable Membrane

In the final stage of Reverse Osmosis filtration, the water flows through a semi-permeable membrane capable of removing 97% of the elements dissolved in the water, whether bacteria, herbicides, heavy metals, or various residues, making it almost ready for human consumption.

GAC Post-filter

In the last filtration point before obtaining quality water at home thanks to Reverse Osmosis, we find this filter that again contains granulated carbon of vegetable origin to ensure that nothing filtered in the previous steps has escaped, guaranteeing quality water.