As the title suggests in this article, we will see why reverse osmosis is considered the green solution to treat water and will know how brackish water reverse osmosis is capable enough to convert brackish water into drinking water? But before this, we will briefly see what reverse osmosis is?
What is water treatment, and why is it important?
Since our childhood, we have heard that 70% of our Earth is covered with water, and our elders have always asked us to save water. This is because we don’t have enough water to drink or use for other daily chores of life. Other than consuming less water, even when there is a die-hard need to do it, we have other ways to save water, like treating it. Just like doctors treat their patients to make their organs function as before. Similarly, water can be treated. The one way of doing it is reverse osmosis.
Before digging into what is reverse osmosis? We’ll first see what water treatment is and why is it important?
Water treatment is used to revamp water quality to make it right for end-use. End-use may include drinking, irrigation, industrial water supply, water recreation, river flow maintenance, safely returning to the environment, or many other uses. Water treatment removes undesirable components and pollutants to make it fit for the purposes mentioned above. Treating water is essential as it allows humans to use it again. Moreover, the water returned to the environment should be clean enough not to harm the water cycle or the species surviving on it.
Now that we have familiarized ourselves with water treatment and its importance. It is time to jump to the next segment of the article, i.e., What reverse osmosis is and why it is used for water treatment?
What is Reverse Osmosis?
Reverse osmosis is the process of treating water. It is the process in which the water passes through a partially permeable membrane to separate unwanted molecules, ions, and larger particles from water. In this process, the applied pressure is used to defeat the osmotic pressure, i.e., water is passed in the direction opposite to the natural osmosis direction as it is subjected to a hydrostatic pressure greater than the osmotic pressure. Reverse osmosis is of different types depending on the kind of water which needs to be treated. To name a few, it can be brackish water reverse osmosis, seawater reverse osmosis, and much more. This was a brief introduction to reverse osmosis, but there is much more to know. Thus, this article will discuss its characteristic of becoming the green solution to treat water.
Why Is Reverse Osmosis Used?
Reverse osmosis is a cleverly designed system as it uses no chemicals to treat water. Instead, it just uses pressure and membranes. It purifies the wastewater and assists us in meeting water regulations by purifying water before it goes to drain, consequently making it a green solution.
Further, it is also used because of its edge-cut spiral design membranes as it removes the contaminants from water feed without using resins, ion exchange beds, or chemicals.
Wastewater that is generated from factories is polluted with harmful elements. For instance, wastewater produced from an automobile manufacturer can include metals, grease, oils, and harmful chemicals from paint residue.
Now, imagine that this water re-enters the water cycle. You can yourself create the scenario of damage it will make to the environment. The entrance of this water into the environment is a great threat as it will be long-term harm to the natural cycle and the species surviving on this water; consequently, it will have a knock-on effect on the whole food pyramid.
But thanks to the knowledgeable world, everybody is becoming more eco-conscious, which is why the government is passing rules that make treating wastewater for industries mandatory. Poor management of water treatment can incur high fines and severe punishments like the imprisonment of the managing director of the brand that fails to meet the rules.
Industries are coming under the eye of the government and other people because industries are the main culprit of wastewater. The industrial sector heavily contributes to the quantity of harmful wastewater, making it their social responsibility to prevent it.
Other than just treating the wastewater from industries, water that is not produced as waste can also be treated. To be more precise, brackish water, i.e., saltier than freshwater but not as salty as seawater, can be treated with the help of brackish water reverse osmosis. Similarly, seawater can be treated with the help of seawater reverse osmosis. These kinds of reverse osmosis help us produce more water that can be used for daily chores, thus fulfilling the need of millions of people. Furthermore, scarcity of water can be demolished gradually with the help of brackish water reverse osmosis and seawater reverse osmosis.
Although there are many other ways to treat water, we have mentioned only two names: brackish water reverse osmosis and seawater reverse osmosis because reverse osmosis systems are powered by electricity and just need a daily check from onsite personnel. Moreover, reverse osmosis systems are self-contained, self-cleaning units that look after themselves.
To encapsulate, we can say that reverse osmosis is the green solution because of the following reasons:
● It doesn’t use any chemicals.
● It is the clever combination of membranes and pressure that helps to purify the water.
● Protects the environment and the natural cycle as the water that enters the environment is purified.
● It can be used commercially, i.e., the industries can use it to treat wastewater.
We have come this far and have understood the various aspects of reverse osmosis. Therefore, it is time to know where we can get the best services for treating water or wastewater. With the plenty of firms giving these services, it becomes difficult to choose. This is why we are here. While reading this, a question may pop up in your mind, what is unique with Aquatech? Well, the 35 years of experience make us unique. We have successfully executed more than 1000 water treatment projects in over 60 countries across the globe. If you want to contribute to the water-saving process and help the globe meet the growing demand for clean water, you can contact Aquatech.