One type of commercial water purification is reverse osmosis (RO). It uses the natural process of osmosis, in which weaker saline solutions migrate towards stronger saline solutions. Osmosis occurs when plants absorb water from the soil and when the kidneys absorb water from the blood. It’s been happening in nature for millions of years.
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With a push, you can reverse the process of osmosis. A semipermeable membrane allows the water through but stops the majority of salts, bacteria and other contaminants. The result is highly purified water. Most RO systems use between three and five membranes to catch as many different contaminants as possible. Higher pump pressure also helps to stop particles.
RO is effective for many applications, both industrial and commercial. The purified water it produces is safe for drinking, testing or use as an ingredient. RO is also a common technique for desalination, the process of removing salt from seawater.
Mechanical or media commercial water filtration uses filters with smaller and smaller pores to catch contaminants. The filters can be regular in shape, such as a mesh screen, or irregular in shape, such as a sponge. Different filters catch different particle types and sizes. Every so often, you’ll need to replace the filters as contaminants build up against them.
Many industries require mechanically filtered water. Mechanical filters can remove iron particles, which can corrode pipes. They provide a simple, effective way to remove unwanted particles from your water supply.
Ion exchange is a more technical process that’s ideal for removing specific contaminants. It’s often used in combination with other filtration methods, such as reverse osmosis. Ion exchange uses natural chemical reactions to replace unwanted ions with others — for instance, it might exchange calcium for sodium.
An ion exchange system is useful for removing inorganic particles, like calcium or magnesium. In most cases, you’ll need to combine an ion exchange system with another type of filtration for the most effective contaminant removal.
As its name suggests, a deionization filtration system involves the removal of ions — any particles with an electrical charge, either positive or negative. Examples include minerals, chloride, nitrates and carbonates. This process works by forcing water through positively and negatively charged resin beds, which attract the ions and make them stick.
The process produces ultrapure water, which is useful for high-standard settings like food service or pharmaceuticals. The best systems use only electricity, keeping them chemical-free.
A popular type of deionization utilizes electricity to filter out ions. Electrodeionization or EDI uses direct-current electricity to force ions through membranes and resins. Once they’ve been collected into a stream, the ions are drainable or recyclable. Because the ion exchange beds constantly regenerate, buildup is not an issue. The process uses only electricity, so it’s chemical-free.
Like deionization, this process is useful for all kinds of high-standard industries, like hospitality and food service. One of its major benefits is its energy efficiency — it requires only electricity to yield ultrapure water.
An effective way to remove bacteria and viruses is through ultraviolet (UV) filtration. UV rays alter the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) of bacteria and viruses. This process renders them unable to reproduce. Keep in mind that it’s necessary to pair a UV filtration system with another type of water filtration to remove larger contaminants.
UV filtration can make any water safer by killing disease-causing particles, so it’s popular in many commercial settings. It can also increase the life span of storage tanks and other equipment.
Scale inhibition is a bit more complicated than other filtration types. Scale refers to hard mineral deposits that accumulate over time. The minerals in the water solidify on the inside surface of a pipe or tank, which can cause backups and other issues. Scale inhibitors are special chemicals that delay or prevent this buildup from occurring.
Reducing or preventing scale buildup is often necessary. Scale inhibition lengthens the life span of pipes, tanks and other equipment. It’s useful in many different commercial settings.
With proper design, high quality manufacturing, and ongoing maintenance, reverse osmosis (RO) systems can reliably deliver high purity water for applications ranging from drinking water to pharmaceutical production and semiconductor manufacturing. This capability makes them an essential water purification tool for many businesses.
The key to realizing the benefits of an RO system over the long-term is partnering with experts to select the right system, components, and ongoing service plan based on your specific water treatment objectives. This article provides guidance on how to find and scope an RO system tailored to your needs.
When searching for an RO system, the first step is determining various design factors you should consider for your end use:
Getting a professional water analysis is crucial for appropriately sizing and designing an RO system. The analysis will quantify the mineral content, known as total dissolved solids (TDS), along with other parameters like pH, calcium, total suspended solids (TSS), iron, and silica levels, among others. These water quality parameters provide insights into:
Without this water quality baseline, you risk undersizing, overengineering, or overpaying for your system’s components and membranes.
In addition to water quality, understanding your required RO permeate production rate is also essential. Key questions to answer include:
Carefully projecting both your daily demands and the water source’s production rate prevents shortfalls in treated water and minimizes the risk of downtime for your process – be it drinking water or industrial cooling. It also prevents overbuilding a system beyond your site’s capabilities.
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Getting accurate water quality and demand parameters early allows RO vendors to right-size a system to your needs. It also paves the way for optimizing the broader facility, pretreatment, and concentrate disposal design.
Understanding installation space limitations is necessary to determine if an off-the-shelf or custom RO system is more appropriate. Key considerations include:
Standard RO skids have a relatively fixed width and length when supporting certain production flow rates and ranges. If your facility has tight space bounds, or if you are looking to tailor a system to your production process, a smaller custom-designed system may better suit your needs. Custom systems can take advantage of several unique design options, including vertical configuration and difference membrane array layouts, to ensure you get the best use of the space you have available.
While pre-engineered systems you can find online may be more budget-friendly initially, a tailored RO design allows the vendor to match your treatment production goals with your specific water quality, end use, and other site-specific variables. The expertise to deliver custom systems also facilitates integrating advanced remote monitoring and process controls.
RO systems have relatively modest power demands but verifying electrical infrastructure caps should be performed prior to purchasing any water treatment system.
Low-capacity RO systems producing up to a few thousand gallons per day can typically run on standard 120V power.
As permeate production requirements increase into the tens of thousands of gallons daily, RO systems often require 460V, 3-phase power with higher amperage ratings. Lacking adequate electrical service could add unexpected costs for upgrades.
Getting clarity on space and power accommodations early gives vendors the details to engineer an RO system aligned with your facility’s realities. This avoids unanticipated restrictions down the road.
RO membranes are highly effective at removing dissolved contaminants, but proper pretreatment protects them from particulates, bacteria, and scaling. Common forms of pretreatment include:
Multi-media filters, cartridge filters, bag filters, ultrafiltration, and other mechanical filtration will help remove suspended particles that could plug RO membranes.
Injection of anti-scalants prevents mineral scale accumulation on membranes, while pH adjustment helps control corrosion. Analyzing the water chemistry determines which chemicals to apply and at what dosages. Oftentimes sites may be limited by ions such as silica, and a properly dosed antiscalant can help minimize the risk of this limiting ion from scaling the membranes.
Other pretreatment steps like activated carbon absorption and dechlorination may also be advisable depending on the feed water quality. Optimized pretreatment not only safeguards RO membrane integrity but also reduces the frequency of costly cleanings.
While RO systems produce an exceptionally pure permeate stream, they also generate a concentrated waste stream. The disposal method for this concentrate depends on the following:
Businesses must follow federal, state, and municipal statutes dictating allowable total dissolved solid, chloride, and other ion concentrations for surface water discharge. More stringent limits or surcharges for higher TDS loads may apply.
If regulations restrict surface water disposal, concentrate volume reduction technologies, trucking services, or evaporation ponds are viable alternatives. Some sites also use RO concentrate for onsite beneficial reuse in cooling towers or irrigation.
Vetting discharge alternatives and limitations early allows for adequate planning and budgeting for long-term concentrate handling.
Once the steps for gathering key requirements are complete, collaborating with an experienced RO system vendor speeds up the process of moving to the design phase. Elements to scope out include:
Reliable vendors have the expertise to complete detailed system designs tailored to your objectives. This analysis looks at:
Proper system design maximizes water recovery as a percentage of the incoming feed rate to reduce water waste. The recovery rate potential depends partly on your water analysis. This will also allow your team to balance initial Capital Expenditures versus ongoing Operating Expenditures.
Adding an automated permeate flush that periodically floods the system with purified water helps control scaling and extend membrane life.
Sophisticated monitoring and data transmission to the cloud allows vendors to flag performance issues before they become problems. Expert analysis of operating trends is key for preventative maintenance.
Prioritizing upfront system design positions you for effective ongoing service partnerships. This focus on lifetime support ensures smooth, reliable, long-term RO performance. Carefully scoping an RO system with a reliable and responsive water treatment provider gives you the purification capabilities and resilience needed to meet your objectives.
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