Reverse Osmosis

Reverse osmosis is the action of "cleaning" water. Or in other words purifying water. Reverse Osmosis is done by filtering solutions through a partially permeable membrane in high pressure. That will remove many types of large molecules and ions from the solution. So why is reverse osmosis important?

In the world now, among the 100% of the water in the world, only 3% is drinkable, the other 97% of water are unsuitable for us to use. And among this 3%, about 69% of water are locked up in glaciers and icebergs in the North and South Poles. Thus, the amount of drinkable water that can be easily obtained are low. And to overcome this problems, reverse osmosis are used. This is to allow those people living in drought-stricken areas to have enough water.

So how is reverse osmosis done?

Reverse osmosis are done by:
Step 1: Sea water will pass through the partially permeable membrane using pressures higher than the osmotic pressure. Only water and some bacteria will be able to pass through the membrane as big molecules like the salt molecules are too big to pass through the membrane.
Step 2: The water is now cleaned by sanitizing it with chemicals. The chemicals are suitable for humans. The water will now be clean. However, for safety precautions, the water will be checked for anymore bacteria. If the water is bacteria-free, the water will be used.

Is reverse osmosised water used in other areas other than for drinking?

Yes. Reverse osmosised water are also used in:

• Food industries that needs large amounts of water
• Car Washing
• Maple Syrup Production
• Hydrogen Production ( water is H2o which means it contains 2 molecules of hydrogen and 1 molecule of oxygen. )
• Reef Aquariums

Now lets enjoy a nice video of reverse osmosis

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MDPBWKdSag