How Does Reverse Osmosis Water Treatment System Work? | TICKTOCK

Learn how reverse osmosis water treatment system works, including pre-treatment, RO membrane separation, pure water & concentrated water. Suitable for industrial pure water projects.

Reverse osmosis (RO) is the most widely used membrane purification technology for industrial pure water production. It removes dissolved salts, heavy metals, organic pollutants, bacteria and colloids from raw water, to produce stable qualified pure water for factories, food & beverage plants, cosmetics workshops and other industries.

What is Reverse Osmosis?

Osmosis is a natural phenomenon. When two solutions with different concentrations are separated by a semi-permeable membrane, water will flow from the low-concentration side to the high-concentration side automatically.

Reverse osmosis is the opposite process. By applying external pressure greater than the natural osmotic pressure, water molecules are forced to pass through the semi-permeable RO membrane, while most impurities, salts and contaminants are blocked on the membrane surface.

The Full Working Flow of RO Water Treatment System

A complete industrial reverse osmosis water system consists of pre-treatment section, high-pressure pump, RO membrane main unit and pure water storage section.

Step1: Pre-treatment (Critical to protect RO membranes)

Raw water first enters pre-treatment to remove impurities that may damage the RO membrane.

1. Quartz sand filter: Removes sediment, suspended solids and reduces water turbidity.
2. Activated carbon filter: Adsorbs residual chlorine, organics, color and odor. Residual chlorine will permanently damage RO membrane elements, so this step is essential.
3. Precision filter (5μm): Catches fine particles leaked from previous filters, to prevent scratch on RO membrane surface.

Note: For raw water with low hardness, the system can be configured without water softener.

Step2: High-pressure pump

The pretreated clean water is pressurized by a vertical high-pressure pump. The pressure provides driving force to push water molecules through RO membranes.

Step3: RO Membrane Separation (Core part)

Pressurized water flows into the RO membrane housing.

• Permeate water (pure water): Water molecules pass through the RO membrane, collected as finished pure water, then flow into pure water tank for storage.
• Concentrated water (reject water): Salts, heavy metals, organic contaminants and particles cannot pass the membrane, gathered as concentrated wastewater. This concentrated water can be drained or reused for other purposes on site.

Step4: Pure water storage

The produced pure water is stored in a pure water tank for subsequent production use. UV disinfection unit can be optionally installed after the tank if higher microbial control is required.

What Contaminants Can RO Remove?

The RO membrane can remove more than 98% of:

• Dissolved inorganic salts
• Heavy metals: lead, iron, manganese, chromium
• Colloids and fine suspended solids
• Most bacteria, viruses and microorganisms
• Most soluble organic compounds

Key Points for Stable RO System Operation

1. Protect pre-treatment well. Damaged pre-filter is the top reason for RO membrane fouling.
2. Keep operating pressure within the rated range. Too high pressure accelerates membrane aging.
3. Regular cleaning: When pressure difference rises obviously, CIP chemical cleaning is needed to clean fouling on membranes.
4. Monitor inlet water quality, especially residual chlorine and turbidity.

Common Industrial Applications of RO System

• Food and beverage factory pure water
• Cosmetic production water
• Boiler feed water
• Water purification for mining and chemical projects
• Commercial drinking water production

Final Words

Reverse osmosis technology relies on pressure and semi-permeable membrane to separate impurities from water. A properly matched pre-treatment section greatly extends RO membrane service life and cuts maintenance cost.

TICKTOCK provides customized industrial reverse osmosis water treatment systems with different capacity (0.5T/H ~ 50T/H). Contact us to get your project solution.