Reverse Osmosis Membrane Cleaning Process

Reverse osmosis or RO is a process used in commercial water purification to remove solids and particulate from feed water into cleaner water called permeate which is then used in everything from drinking water to water used in industrial processes.

The process works by using pressure to force the dirty water through a series of very fine filters called a semipermeable membrane trapping the particulates and allowing the water molecules to flow through the system. This process is very effective and is used in a large portion of water treatment systems.

The problem is that over time, the membrane will trap so many particles that it will start to block the water flow and reduce the efficiency of the entire system. Replacing the filter with a new filter is the solution but it can significantly add the overall cost of the process.  The membrane itself doesn’t need to be replaced every time it just needs to be cleaned, removing the particles to allow the water flow to be increased. Cleaning the membrane has become an efficient way to restore the usability of the membrane and reduce the costs compared to replacing the entire unit.

Reverse osmosis membrane cleaning has proven that when done properly the membranes can be reused several times before the entire unit needs complete replacement. By using specific chemicals, it can help release the particles from the membrane thus restoring the filter back to a usable state. Some companies can even test the membrane pre-cleaning and post cleaning to determine how many more times the membrane can be used and maintain the level of quality filtering.

By monitoring the life cycle of a membrane, companies can not only reduce costs associated with new replacement filters but can know how much longer a membrane can be used and plan ahead for the costs of complete replacements.

This is a cool process that is used everyday and takes a complicated and costly problem and solving it with a basic concept of cleaning rather than replacing. While the process is not simple, the idea that a filter need not be thrown out but merely cleaned is very cool!

The information above was provided by Ron Hoolahan , President, All Water Systems