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Reverse osmosis, also known as RO, is an advanced water purification method that was initially developed by the United States Navy to produce drinking water from sea water for submarine crews.
Reverse osmosis is membrane filtration technology that works by forcing water under pressure through the very tiny pores of a semi-permeable membrane.
How does it work?
In home units, water, driven by normal city water pressure, flows first through two filters, which removes soluble and suspended particles from the water like organic contaminants including chlorine.
Then it enters the reverse osmosis membrane. This is tight, sheet-like filter, that allows water to pass through but rejects dissolved solids like sodium and impurities like lead and arsenic.
The remaining contaminants are concentrated and washed from the surface of the membrane down the drain. The pure water flows to a storage tank.
Depending on the type of equipment and the quantities of water processed, the membranes may last between 6 months and one year. Effective membrane life depends on the quality of water entering the unit and how much pure water is consumed.
Reproduced with the kind permission of the WaterLab
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