Endless access to clean and safe drinking water is essential to human health and well-being, isn’t it? However, with the recent challenges of water impurities, the presence of bacteria is considered to be the most significant concern.
These bacteria are microscopic organisms that can lead to several diseases. But our modern science has the ideal solution for this challenge, the reverse osmosis purification technology, to be precise.
One of the leading water purification technologies, Reverse Osmosis Technology, with its groundbreaking process, came to the rescue by removing the bacteria and making the water cleaner, healthier, and drinkable. Let’s have a look at how!
Understanding the Reverse Osmosis process
Reverse Osmosis is a remarkable technique to purify water effectively in order to access clean and safe drinking water. The process is advanced and might sound complex, but the fascination with its simplicity in removing every slight danger in water is outstanding.
By harnessing the natural osmosis in reverse, the RO mechanism filters out all the impurities and contaminants from the water, leaving behind nothing else than an endless source of freshwater for your daily living.
Let’s take a closer look at how the thrilling process of reverse osmosis works to maintain water quality.
Types of bacteria present in water
There are countless harmful toxins that result in our daily water needs, including bacteria. These bacteria can vary widely in different types and characteristics, posing the same level of health risk to humans. Here are some common types of bacteria found in water
- Escherichia Coli– Also called E. coli, is a type of bacteria commonly associated with fecal impurities. This can cause serious gastrointestinal illness, diarrhea, and more.
- Salmonella- Another popular group of bacteria commonly found dissolved with fecal matter and that can cause salmonellosis, a type of food poisoning
- Campylobacter– A common bacteria that can be found in untreated unpurified water sources and that can pose bacterial infection danger such as fever and abdominal pain.
- Pseudomonas– A ubiquitous bacteria that is generally found in the environment, including our water sources. It might pose a low risk to health, but it weakens the immune system.
What is the process of reverse osmosis?
The advancement of Reverse osmosis manages to remove impurities from water by using pressure to force the contaminant through a semipermeable membrane. The process goes through a sequence of natural osmosis in reverse.
- First, the water goes through pre-filtration to remove larger particles and avoid future clogging in the RO membrane.
- The pre-filtered water is then pressurized using a pressure mechanism to drive the water molecules through the semipermeable membrane.
- Then, the pressurized water goes through a semipermeable membrane in a thin layer that allows the water molecules to pass through while blocking all the contaminants and large molecules.
- The RO membrane is designed with tiny pores that are small enough to trap ions, molecules, and particles, removing them from water.
- After that, the water passes through the membrane in two separate streams, purified water and the solution containing all those contaminants.
- Lastly, the purified water may undergo post-filtration to remove any remaining impurities further and enhance its taste and odor through some additional filters like activated carbon.
How does the reverse osmosis process remove bacteria?
The reverse osmosis process removes bacteria from the water with the combination of physical filtration and size exclusion. It is considered to be one of the most effective methods for removing bacteria from water, providing a reliable source of clean and safe water.
Mechanism– The process of bacteria removal involves forcing water through a semipermeable membrane with extremely small pores to catch these bacteria. These pores are sized around 0.0001 microns smaller than the size of bacteria.
Following through the same, pressurizing and pushing water through the RO membrane while the tiny pores act as barriers, allowing only water molecules to pass through while blocking bacteria from passing through the membrane.
As icing on the cake to the procedure, high pressure was applied during the Reverse osmosis process more than the traditional RO procedure in order to ensure that the bacteria were physically removed and flushed away in the reject stream away from freshwater.
Effectiveness– Research says that Reverse osmosis is highly effective in removing bacteria from water. The small pore size in the RO membrane is key to trapping the containment and meeting the quality standard for bacterial purity.
The effectiveness of reverse osmosis can also be defined by its ability to remove a wide range of bacteria like E.coli, Salmonella, and others.
It also follows through ensuring the water safety and purity of drinking water, safeguarding from all the risks bacterial involvement in water can cause
Limitations and challenges- While reverse osmosis is considered to be a highly effective procedure in removing bacteria, the process doesn’t come without any limitations or challenges. Some drawbacks are-
- The RO membrane may clog out over time with bacterial biofilm and other contaminants.
- The Ro membranes are great at removing bacteria, but they may not be able to completely remove all types of bacteria.
- You will need a pre-treatment if you don’t want your membrane to clog out or reduce its lifespan. Pre-treatment like sediment filtration
- Some of the RO filters require a lot of energy to operate and maintain the high pressure needed for purifying, eventually costing more.
- The RO filtration system is not an excellent choice if you are tight on budget; they are not cost-effective.
What are some other ways to remove bacteria from water?
Apart from Reverse Osmosis, there are several other methods for removing bacteria from water, each of which has its own advantages and limitations. Some of the common methods are
Boiling– The oldest and simplest method for disinfecting water and killing bacteria is to heat the water to its boiling point.
Chlorination– The process involves chlorine-based chemicals such as chlorine gas to kill bacteria in water.
UV disinfection– The process uses ultraviolet light to inactivate bacteria, damaging their DNA and stopping them from reproducing in water
Distillation– Another common process that involves heating water to its boiling point to produce steam, which is condensed back into liquid form
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What factors can affect RO bacteria removal efficiency?
There are several factors that influence the efficiency of the reverse osmosis mechanism in removing bacteria from water, such as the quality of feed water, the presence of organic matter, suspended solids, and dissolved minerals. Also, the maintenance of the RO system and the variation of operating parameters like space, pressure, and temperature can possibly affect the bacteria removal process.
How does the size of RO membrane pores impact the bacteria removal process?
The size of the Reverse Osmosis membrane pores definitely affects the bacterial removal process. These RO membranes have extremely small pores, around 0.0001 microns in size, which is considered to be smaller than the size of most bacteria, and due to this size, they easily trap and remove bacteria from water. The adjustment in the size of the pores will let more bacteria pass through water molecules, affecting bacteria removal.
Do I need a RO Filtration for my house?
Well, the answer depends on the different factors; the most significant are the quality of your tap water, your preference for water taste, and your own well-being. RO filters are a great fit for removing bacteria as well as a wide range of impurities, enhancing the taste of water.
Conclusion
Within all the challenges faced in the world with all the water impurities and water treatment, one thing remains crystal clear- The essential of clean and safe drinking water.
Throughout this effective reverse osmosis process, we have witnessed the transformative power of this water purification technology and how it works its magic on bacterial removal.
From its effective mechanism to challenges, we have reviewed every possible factor that stands as a weapon against bacterial containment.
So, as we wrap up, let us continue to anchor the deserving potential of reverse osmosis technology or any other water treatment in order to make sure we choose a healthier way of living.
So, let’s dig in!
