Industrial Reverse Osmosis Reverse Osmosis (RO) technology can be a complicated subject, particularly without an understanding of the specific

terminology that describes various aspects of RO system operation and the relationships between these operating variables. In the reverse osmosis process, the water from a liquid with a high concentration of dissolved solids is forced to flow through the membrane to the low concentration side where this water can be collected. The process is achieved by applying enough pressure to overcome the natural osmotic pressure forces on a membrane. The semi-permeable membranes used in the process are engineered to only allow the passage of the water molecule. The result is high quality water. How reverse osmosis works Reverse Osmosis Technology In water purification systems, hydraulic pressure is applied to the concentrated solution to counteract the osmotic pressure. Pure water is driven from the concentrated solution and collected downstream of the membrane.

Reverse Osmosis Percentage Rejection Reverse Osmosis Rejection refers to the ability of a reverse osmosis membrane to reject dissolved solids. The percent rejection describes the difference in TDS between the feed water and the product water.

Reverse Osmosis Percentage Recovery

Reverse Osmosis Recovery refers to the amount of product water obtained compared to the amount of feed water used.

The heart of the RO system is the semi-permeable membrane which acts as a molecular filter to remove up to 99% of all dissolved solids. The semi-permeable membrane allow water molecules to pass through while blocking other salt molecules. So as pressure is applied to the concentrated solution, water is forced through the membrane from the concentrated side to the dilute side. The dissolved and particular materials are left behind. Water molecules penetrate the thin layer of the membrane and diffuse through it molecule by molecule. Dissolved salt ions do not diffuse through this layer because the solubility of the salt ions is much less than that of the water. Thus, the water moves through more readily and separation from the other molecules present occurs. The driving force is furnished by both the pressure and the concentration of differentials across the membrane. For water, the pressure effect is the most important, and for dissolved minerals the concentration difference is most important. Therefore, increases in pressure increase the product water flow without a corresponding decrease in the quality of the product water. This process removes up to 99% of most dissolved mineral salts, virtually all of the particulate matter, and many dissolved organic compounds. The semi-permeable membrane must be made of a highly durable material since it must withstand pressure higher than the pressure differential between the concentrated side and the diluted side of the membrane which can be very high as in the case of seawater, where it is up to 350 psi (25kg/cm2) 1. Some RO systems utilize line pressure only and therefore must be maintained at 5060 psi to keep a driving force across the membrane to produce high quality, low mineral content water. The recovery rate on these systems is typically 20-30%. 2. Larger RO systems utilized a pressure pump to maintain the driving force. These systems normally use pumps that maintain 125-250 psi. The recovery rate for these systems is typically 25%-75%. The correct choice in pretreatment is very important as it influences the quality and quantity of the product water and above all, the life-span of the membrane. Improperly pretreated systems can experience scaling and/or fouling which will greatly reduce the capacity and life of the membrane. Typical uses for reverse osmosis

Ultra-fine filtration of water for drinking water applications, food & beverage servce, ice production/drinking water, humidification, boiler pretreatment, vehicle wash and water jet cutting machines. Untreated water can cause poor tasting food and beverages, improperly carbonated beverages, increased costs, spotted vehicles, increased maintenance costs and increased utility bills. Typical applications for reverse osmosis 1. Food and Beverage: Superior taste and increased cost savings 2. Ice Procduction/Drinking Water: Reduces scaling, improves taste and clarity 3. Restaurants: Improves steamer operation 4. Humidification: Reduces scaling and dusting 5. Grocery Stores: Prevents scaling in vegetables misters 6. Horticulture: Reduces leaf spotting and mineral build up in potting soils 7. Water Jet Cuttng: Improves operating efficiency and extends orifice life. 8. Pretreatment: For use in deionization systems 9. Boilers: Improves energy efficiency 10. Vehicle Wash: Provides spot-free rinses Listed below are definitions of some of these key terms which also provides a brief overview of the factors that affect the performance of the RO membranes, including pressure, temperature, feedwater salt concentration, permeate recovery, and system pH. Definitions Recovery - the percentage of membrane system feedwater that emerges from the system as product water or "permeate". Membrane system design is based on expected feedwater quality and recovery is fixed through initial adjustment of valves on the concentrate stream. Recovery is often fixed at the highest level that maximized permeate flow while preventing precipitation of super-saturated salts within the membrane system. Rejection - the percentage of solids concentration removed from system feedwater by the membrane. Passage - the opposite of "rejection," passage is the percentage of dissolved constituents (contaminants) in the feedwater allowed to pass through the membrane. Permeate - the purified product water produced by a membrane system. Flow - feed flow is the rate of feedwater introduced to the membrane element, usually measured in gallons per minute (gpm). Concentrate flow is the rate of flow of nonpermeated feedwater that exits the membrane element. This concentrate contains most of the dissolved constituents originally carried into the element from the feed source. It is usually measured in gallons per minute (gpm). Flux - the rate of permeate transported per unit of membrane area, usually measured in gallons per square foot per day (gfd). Dilute Solution - purified water solution, RO system product water. Concentrated Solution - brackish water solution such as RO system feedwater.

Effect of Pressure Feedwater pressure affects both the water flux and salt rejection of RO membranes. Osmosis is the flow of water across a membrane from the dilute side toward the concentrated solution side. RO technology involves application of pressure to the feedwater stream to overcome the natural osmotic pressure. Pressure in excess of the osmotic pressure is applied to the concentrated solution and the flow of water is reversed. A portion of the feedwater (concentrated solution) is forced through the membrane to emerge as purified product water of the dilute solution side. Water flux across the membrane increases in direct relationship to increases in feedwater pressure. Increased feedwater pressure also results in increased salt rejection but the rejection is less direct than for water flux. Because RO membranes are imperfect barriers to dissolved salts in feedwater, there is always some salt passage through the membrane. As feedwater pressure is increased, this salt passage is increasingly overcome as water is pushed through the membrane at a faster rate than salt can be transported. However, there is an upper limit to the amount of salt that can be excluded via increasing feedwater pressure. As the plateau in the salt rejection curve exceeds a certain pressure level, salt rejection no longer increases and some salt flow remains coupled with flowing through the membrane. Effect of Temperature Membrane productivity is very sensitive to changes in feedwater temperature. As water temperature increases, water flux increases almost linearly, due primarily to the higher diffusion rate of water through the membrane. Increased feedwater temperature also results in lower salt rejection or higher salt passage. This is due to a higher diffusion rate for salt through the membrane. The ability of a membrane to tolerate elevated temperatures increases operating latitude and is also important during cleaning operations because it permits use of stronger, faster cleaning process. Effect of Salt Concentration Osmotic pressure is a function of the type and concentration of salts or organics contained in feedwater. As salt concentration increases, so does osmotic pressure. The amount of feedwater driving pressure necessary to reverse the natural direction of osmotic flow is, therefore, largely determined by the level of salts in the feedwater. If feed pressure remains constant, higher salt concentration results in lower membrane water flux. The increasing osmotic pressure offsets the feedwater driving pressure. There is an increase in salt passage through the membrane (decrease in rejection) as the water flux declines. Effect of Recovery Reverse osmosis occurs when the natural osmotic flow between a dilute solution and a concentrated solution is reversed through application of feedwater pressure. If percentage recovery is increased (and feedwater pressure remains constant), the salts in the residual

feed become more concentrated and the natural osmotic pressure will increase until it is as high as the applied feed pressure. This can negate the driving effect of feed pressure, slowing or halting the reverse osmosis process and causing permeate flux and salt rejection to decrease and even stop. The maximum percent recovery possible in any RO system usually depends not on a limiting osmotic pressure, but on the concentration of salts present in the feedwater and their tendency to precipitate on the membrane surface as mineral scale. The most common sparingly soluble salts are calcium carbonate (limestone), calcium sulfate (gypsum), and silica. Chemical treatment of feedwater can be used to inhibit mineral scaling. Effect of pH The pH tolerance of various types of RO membranes can vary widely. Thin-film composite membranes are typically stable over a broader pH range than cellulose acetate (CA) membranes and, therefore, offer greater operation latitude. Membrane salt rejection performance depends on pH. Water flux may also be affected. Degasification and Decarbonation Process Some industrial applications and processes require ultra pure water with extremely low levels of dissolved gases and other contaminants. Degasification / decarbonation increases the life of the process equipment by preventing or controlling corrosion. The basic principle of degasification is to force a column of air up-flow over a thin film or small drops of down-flow water. This procedure will oxidize iron and manganese, allow gases such as carbon dioxide, methane and hydrogen sulfide to escape and to let volatile substances such as phenol vaporize into the moving stream of air. Because of its multi-functions, the degasifier is sometimes referred to as an aerator or a decarbonator. The degasifier does not remove oxygen or heat water. Therefore, it is not a substitute for a boiler feed-water deaerator. This will extend the operating runs and significantly reduce the load on downstream strong base anion exchangers or deaerators. For volatile organic compound removal, the degasifier is efficient by itself or can be followed by granular activated carbon filters for almost complete removal. Hydrogen sulfide gas is seldom completely removed by degasification because it is readily converted to non-volatile sulfides in the degasifier. Auxiliary equipment such as a chlorinator and activated carbon filtration is required for complete hydrogen sulfide removal. The degasifier has three main components: the tower, the blower and the sump. The tower is filled with a large surface area packing that breaks up the falling column of water into a thin film and small drops. The blower forces a stream of air upflow through the water and out through the vent pipe. The sump receives the degasified water and stores it for a few minutes before it is pumped to the point of use. The degasifier is mechanical and needs no chemical treatment. The only operating cost is the electrical energy for the blower motor. Typical applications for degasified / decarbonated water: Microelectronics and semiconductors Steam generation / high pressure boiler feedwater

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