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Did
you know?
Reverse osmosis is the finest water filtration method known. This process will
allow the removal of particles as small as ions from a solution. It is used
to purify water and remove salts and other impurities in order to improve the
color, taste or properties of the fluid. R.O. uses a membrane that is semi-permeable,
allowing the fluid that is being purified to pass through it, while rejecting
other ions and contaminants from passing.
This technology uses a process
known as crossflow to allow the r.o. membrane to continually clean itself. This
is the reason of why an r.o. element can last many years before clogging or
need replacement. This
water purification process requires a driving force to push the fluid through
the membrane, and the most common force is household water pressure or pressure
from a booster pump. The higher the pressure, the larger the driving force and
efficiency.
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WATER
PURIFICATION vs BASIC FILTRATION
With the
growth of industry comes pollution. With pollution comes contaminated
water.
Can the old
basic filtration methods still create the best drinking water? Or, do
we need more intense purification methods to combat the modern contaminants
in our water supply?
The answer
is probably the latter. But lets discuss what are the traditional filtration
methods first. These basic traditional methods can include many options,
with the two most prevalent being boiling and chemical. Although effective
in ridding water of some things, we will show you that these methods still
leaves behind harmful materials in the water.
Traditional
Water Filtration Methods
1. Boiling
Historically,
boiling is what has been used to disinfect water from microorganisms. In fact, when done correctly, it can kill most bacteria, but not all. Bacteria
and protozoa are killed at the first bubble, and it takes about three
minutes to kill the rest. The drawbacks to this method however are that
first of all, it can require lots of fuel and cooking equipment. Secondly,
water cannot be then used immediately, as it needs to cool down. Thirdly,
since it is so hot, some of the water may evaporate before its use. Fourth,
the water can still contain particles; so further filtering through a
handkerchief could be necessary. Finally, boiling water does not eliminate
chemical pollutants(including chlorine), poor taste of foul odors, and
in fact can leave a stale taste. Boiling water may be the only method
when camping, but in a household, there are more effective and efficient
methods available.
2.
Chemical
There are
two primary chemicals used to purify water: iodine and chlorine. Both
are lightweight, low cost and easy to use. Iodine has been proven effective
in killing off viruses, bacteria and protozoa. However, the colder the
water is, the more time it will take to purify with iodine. Iodine can
also absorb into the dirt and debris naturally found in water, so the
dosage will always vary. Also, pregnant women or those with thyroid conditions
should not drink water with the chemical. Usually, iodine is just used
for short-term purposes, and should not be used for more than three consecutive
months. Many do not favor the taste it leaves behind either. The unfavorable
taste can be combated by mixing the water with a sugar-based drink mix,
or better yet, by not using the method at all.
Chlorine
bleach is the second chemical purifier. The process of chlorination will
cause dirt and debris to settle to the bottom of the water container and
make the water visually clearer. The American Red Cross endorses the
brand Chlorox. The Red Cross states that people should use an unscented
household bleach that contains 5.25% sodium hypochlorite. When using bleach
to purify, the recommendation is to add 16 drops of bleach per gallon
of water, stir, and let stand for 30 minutes. If the water does not have
a slight bleach odor, repeat the dosage and let stand another 15 minutes. There are many drawbacks to the chlorination method. If the household
bleach is over six months old, it may not have enough potency to disinfect.
Also, chlorine is very poisonous and adding too much can cause illness,
internal organ damage or even death. Chlorine has been linked to many
health problems, as can be read in the health section of this site. Also,
if one decides to use bleach, be sure to add it at the time intended to
use the water, not when storing.
Seeing the
drawbacks of these traditional filtration methods brings us to why more
advanced water purification may be required nowadays.
Advanced
Modern Water Purification Methods
Water filtration
by definition simply means to strain out the impurities from a water source.
The larger the impurity particulate the easier it is to filter. The opposite
is true also, the smaller the impurity particulate, the harder it is to
remove. Thus, the size of the filter pore and the durability of the filtering
element are important to the filter's longevity and ability to perform.
Most filtering elements are made of ceramic, glass fiber, hard-block carbon,
or materials that resemble compressed surgical paper.
Some of the
better purification methods include the activated carbon and reverse
osmosis. The best contribution that carbon makes to filtration is
its ability to reduce chemical quantities, poor taste, odors and many
pollutants. Because carbon is only mildly effective in filtering out particulates
and microorganisms, it is mostly used as a second or third stage filter
in home and portable water use. It is seldom used as a stand-alone filtering,
and often times, used in conjunction with reverse osmosis. Reverse osmosis,
which uses a semipermable membrane filter to separate the water from contaminants.
Reverse
osmosis is highly effective in removing several impurities from water
such as total dissolved solids, turbidity, asbestos, lead and other toxic
heavy metals, radium, and many dissolved organic. The process will also
remove chlorine, and also can remove nuclear radiation such
as radioactive plutonium or strontium in the drinking water. Therefore,
reverse osmosis combined with activated carbon seems to be the most advanced
water purification method developed so far.
Healthy and Convenient!
Our Featured Reverse Osmosis Drinking Water System
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