Sunday, August 21, 2011

What Does Reverse Osmosis Do? The Facts

What does reverse osmosis do? Good question. Dependent on whom you ask, you will either get a glowing report which hails it as the most innovative and most heavily relied upon method of water treatment, and which is a necessity to our way of life.

osmosis membrane

On the other hand, you will get the critics of the reverse osmosis process who slate it for its gross inefficiency, high levels of wasted water as well as the exceptionally significant running costs associated with it.

OSMOSIS

To add further insult to injury, the end results of reverse osmosis are not especially favorable or beneficial as many of the harmful contaminants present in water remain unfiltered, whilst beneficial minerals are filtered leaving a rather concentrated solution of harmful chemicals and pollutants with no redeeming features.

Sadly, the overwhelming majority of evidence would indicate that critics of the reverse osmosis process have hit the nail squarely on the head, and the limited positive benefits identified have only ever been so determined through very selective and deliberate criteria which are not particularly reliable or accurate.

What does reverse osmosis do? Well, in theory, it makes use of a carbon filter in order to chemically treat and purify water by removing certain substances and contaminants from water. The way this is achieved is that if the sizes of the molecules are larger than the porous surface of the carbon filter they cannot pass through. If you can imagine a chemical sieve, then you have grasped the fundamental concept behind it all.

Whilst this sounds like a great idea on paper, the reality is rather different and the results have been limited and extremely flawed at best. Does reverse osmosis prevent certain chemical elements to pass through due to the size of their molecules? Yes. Does it prevent the most harmful of such elements from passing through? No. And therein lies the problem with the design.

If you are thinking of using reverse osmosis please be aware that it is an extremely expensive option indeed, as the running costs associated with it are frightfully high. As a general rule of thumb, for every one gallon of water which is successfully purified by the reverse osmosis process there is another 3-5 which are wasted in the process.

These machines are also very susceptible to breakage and so also have to be frequently repaired or replaced, posing additional unnecessary financial strain.

Many people assume (wrongly) that water filtering is an expensive process and therefore is little more than a luxury. This is wrong on both counts, as water filtering is only ever as difficult and costly as you make it, with systems to suit all capacities and budgets, you will be bound to find the right system for you. All you need to do dear reader is look!

You can read more about water filtration systems by visiting my website below.

What Does Reverse Osmosis Do? The Facts

OSMOSIS

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