RO reverse osmosis system

1. RO reverse osmosis system

RO in RO reverse osmosis system refers to reverse osmosis membrane. This system is built based on the characteristics of reverse osmosis membrane. Reverse osmosis membrane has the functions of concentration, purification and separation, and also has the advantages of no pollution and easy operation. It is the core component of RO reverse osmosis system.

2. Working principle of RO reverse osmosis system

Osmosis and reverse osmosis

Osmosis is the process of water flowing spontaneously from the dilute solution side through the semipermeable membrane to the concentrated solution side. When the pressure generated by the flow of water to the concentrated solution is sufficient to prevent the water from continuing to flow in, the osmosis is in a state of equilibrium, and the pressure at this time is called the osmotic pressure of the solution. When there is an external pressure on the concentrated solution, and the pressure is greater than the osmotic pressure, the water in the concentrated solution will flow through the semipermeable membrane to the dilute solution. This process is the opposite of the osmosis phenomenon and is called reverse osmosis.

Manifestation in RO reverse osmosis system

In the RO reverse osmosis system, pressure is used to force water molecules to pass through the reverse osmosis membrane that has a selective permeation effect on water molecules. Generally, the high-salt water to be treated is pressurized by a high-pressure pump to force the water to pass through the reverse osmosis membrane, thereby achieving the purpose of removing salt and separating the ion range in the solution, such as isolating industrial pollutants, heavy metals, bacteria, viruses and other impurities in the raw water, so that the higher concentration of water becomes low concentration water.

3. Composition of RO reverse osmosis system

Pretreatment part

Usually includes raw water tank, raw water booster pump, multi-media filter, activated carbon filter, ion softener, security filter and other equipment. For example, in a two-stage RO reverse osmosis device, the raw water first passes through these pretreatment equipment before entering the first-stage RO reverse osmosis system. Pretreatment can remove some impurities in the water, reduce the hardness of the water, etc., protect the subsequent reverse osmosis membrane, and extend its service life.

Reverse osmosis part

Includes key components such as high-pressure pumps and reverse osmosis membranes. The high-pressure pump provides sufficient pressure for water to pass through the reverse osmosis membrane, and the reverse osmosis membrane separates solutes and solvents. For example, in some RO reverse osmosis systems, the first-stage reverse osmosis device RO uses multiple membranes arranged in series according to a certain arrangement (such as 2:1 arrangement), with corresponding water production and recovery rate indicators; the second-stage reverse osmosis device RO also uses several membranes arranged in series according to a specific arrangement (such as 1:1 arrangement), and also has corresponding water production and recovery rate indicators.

Post-treatment part (optional)

According to different needs, there may be EDI ultrapure water devices, ozone sterilization equipment, etc. For example, when preparing sterile and heat-free purified water for the pharmaceutical industry, EDI ultrapure water devices will be used to further improve the water quality, and ozone sterilization equipment will be used for sterilization and then the water will be stored in the pure water tank.

4. Functions of RO reverse osmosis system

Water purification

It can effectively remove dissolved salts, organic matter, silica colloids, macromolecular substances and particulate matter that has not been removed by pretreatment in the water, and can also remove charged ions, inorganic matter, colloidal particles, bacteria and organic matter in the water. It can purify raw water such as tap water into water that meets the physical and chemical indicators and sanitary standards for drinking, or prepare high-purity industrial water, such as high-purity water required by the electronics, pharmaceutical and other industries. The purity of the water produced is relatively high among the water production technologies mastered by humans.

Application in different industries

Pharmaceutical industry: used to produce sterile, non-pyrogenic purified water, biomedical water and medical hemodialysis water, etc.

Electronics industry: to meet the demand for high-purity water in electronic component manufacturing, because the electronics industry has extremely high requirements for the impurity content in water. The RO reverse osmosis system can effectively remove various impurities in water and ensure the quality of electronic products.

Food industry: can be used for water purification in the food processing process to ensure the safety and quality of water used for food production, such as removing bacteria, viruses, heavy metals and other harmful substances in water.

Household and urban water: can be used to prepare drinking water in the home, and tap water can be further purified in urban water use, or used for sewage reuse, etc. In addition, it is also widely used in the fields of seawater desalination and brackish water desalination, which helps to solve the water problem in water-scarce areas.

5. Development Status of RO Reverse Osmosis System

Global Market Size

In 2023, the global reverse osmosis (RO) system market size will reach 52.61 billion yuan (RMB), and is expected to reach 78.704 billion yuan by 2029, with an average annual compound growth rate of 5.30% during the forecast period. This shows that the RO reverse osmosis system has a good development trend worldwide, the market size is constantly expanding, and its application demand is gradually increasing.

Domestic Development

my country has been researching and developing reverse osmosis membranes since the 1970s. Although the industrialization level and product performance have lagged behind those of foreign countries, the market launch of a full range of reverse osmosis membrane products has changed the situation in which China's reverse osmosis membrane market supply is completely dependent on imports. The market price of domestic reverse osmosis membranes has also declined year by year, returning to rationality and no longer being highly monopolized by several multinational companies.