RO Full Form

RO full form is Reverse Osmosis. The RO process is a particular type of filtration process which works under the eprinciple of 'Selective passage' system. This process enabes ther clear liquid to pass through its membrane which removes impurities and substances. The usage of RO is varied in many sectors and applications.

What is RO full form?

The full form of RO is Reverse Osmosis. Reverse Osmosis as per definition “is a particular filtration process which utilizes a semipermeable, porous membrane which only enables clear water to move through it, removing the impurities and large molecules”. RO technology is generally applicable to portable water production in water plants and factories and the final byproduct is the solute. The process of purification  happens when the pure solvent is allowed to follow one end of the membrane, allowing the accumulation of a solvent on a suitable side of a membrane. Reverse Osmosis removes the suspended microorganisms that have been dissolved from water, such as different types of bacteria and pathogens.

Working Principle of Reverse Osmosis

Reverse Osmosis operates by reversing the osmosis principle. The salt solution is permitted against the membrane that is semipermeable and put under pressure. The pressure applied here is larger than ‘osmotic pressure’. Therefore, the molecules are transferred from a highly concentrated solution to a less concentrated solution respectively.

The reverse osmosis process involves applying pressure on the fluid slide. In the process, a semipermeable membrane is placed between the solutions.The large molecules in the solute cannot move because of the presence of membrane. Therefore, the unwanted impurities are kept on the pressed side. The pure solvent can therefore pass through the membrane easily.  As a consequence, the solute molecules begin to concentrate on one side of the membrane, whereas the other side becomes diluted. As a result of reverse osmosis, the level of the solution changes. Generally, reverse osmosis occurs when the solvent crosses the membrane against a gradient of concentration. The solvent generally shifts from a higher concentration to a lower concentration.

Process of Reverse Osmosis

The minimum amount of pressure needed to allow solvent flow across a semipermeable member is known as the ‘osmotic pressure’. As a consequence, when the pressure on the solution side i.e the side with the highest solute concentration exceeds the osmotic pressure, the solvent particles on the solution side pass across the semipermeable membrane to the region having least water concentration. The process of  reversal solvent transportation through the semipermeable membrane is known as ‘reverse osmosis’. However, it is important to remember that for the reverse osmosis process to occur, the pressure exerted to the solution side must be larger than the osmotic pressure. The osmotic pressure is highly influenced by the solution's concentration. In the water purification process, the reverse osmosis method is essential.

Application of Reverse Osmosis

Reverse osmosis is a method of removing the dissolved chemical particles from the solvent. Reverse Osmosis is an important method of water filtering both in home and commercial areas. Apart from this, the application  of reverse osmosis is used in various sectors. Few everyday usage of reverse osmosis are mentioned below:

• Reverse osmosis is a process that can be used to extract dissolved living organisms from water
• Reverse Osmosis plays an important role in desalinating salt water
• The process of reverse osmosis is essential in the area of medicine
• To ward off sickness from water contamination, reverse osmosis is used to remove disinfectant from the water
• The process of reverse osmosis is used in the purification of water and sewage treatment plant
• In the food industry, the reverse osmosis process is applied in the concentration of liquids such as milk, juices etc.

What is the Osmosis Process?

Osmosis is the opposite of reverse osmosis. In the osmosis process, the solvent passes through the semipermeable membrane especially from low concentrated solution to high concentrated solutions. A partially permeable membrane allows only certain molecules or ions to cross it.

What is the difference between Osmosis and Reverse Osmosis?

The basic difference between osmosis and reverse osmosis are:

Types of Reverse Osmosis

There are several types of reverse osmosis systems which perform the water purification functions. Various types of Reverse Osmosis systems are:

• Residential RO System: These types of reverse osmosis system are used in individual household and have a lower capacity than commercial/industrial system
• Commercial RO System: These type of Reverse Osmosis system is used in business and other organizations and also have a higher residential systems
• Industrial RO System: These are the largest type of RO system and are designed for use in industrial settings mostly in factories and power plants
• Portable RO System: These are basically smaller RO system that can easily be transported and are mostly used in outdoor settings
• Brackish Water RO System: These reverse osmosis are designed to treat the water with higher salt content such as water from wells/surface water sources

Advantages of Reverse Osmosis

Alongwith the various applications of reverse osmosis in different industries, the process has many advantages. To know more about the extended application, focus on the few advantages and benefits of the reverse osmosis:

• Reverse Osmosis is the most efficient method for neutralizing water
• In the reverse osmosis process, all ion particles will be hindered by the semipermeable membrane present
• The system requires relatively little maintenance
• The reverse osmosis process blocks any impurities and provides us with pure and clean water
• The present RO systems present are relatively space-efficient and convenient
• The entire system of reverse osmosis has a shelf life of more than two years which is a considerable time
• With the technique of reverse osmosis, water can be purified without any use of chemical and harmful substance
• For proper functioning of reverse osmosis, the RO system consumes very less energy
• The working process of the reverse osmosis system is fully automated. They function on their own

Disadvantages of Reverse Osmosis

With many advantages, reverse osmosis has many disadvantages. Few of the disadvantages of reverse osmosis that must be taken care of are mentioned below:

• Reverse osmosis can sometimes cause the entire system to become clogged and blogged
• The reverse osmosis requires proper maintenance and replacements of equipments
• For installation, Reverse Osmosis systems are quite expensive
• The entire process of employing domestic applications is slow and hectic
• By hard water flow, the system of reverse osmosis can be harmed
• After the membrane is damaged, any tiny microorganism can penetrate through membrane
• In order to function, the reverse osmosis must apply more pressure than the osmotic pressure

Limitations of Reverse Osmosis

• High Cost: For large scale applications, RO systems can be expensive to purchase and install
• Waste of water: For every gallon of purified water produced by RO, the systems reject two to three gallons of water respectively as waste which can be a concern in areas where water is a scarce resource
• Require regular maintenance: Reverse osmosis systems requires regular cleaning and maintenance to ensure they continue to function properly
• Pressure requirement: Mostly, RO systems require a high-pressure water source to operate, which can be a basic limitation in areas where water pressure is low
• Removal of beneficial minerals: The process of reverse osmosis removes many dissolved minerals and electrolytes, which can be of additional beneficial to health from the water
• Limited in ability to remove certain pollutants: It is noted that some dissolved gases, microorganisms and pollutants are not effectively removed by RO system
• Cannot remove bacteria and virus: RO membrane alone cannot remove bacteria and virus. Moreover, additional treatment such as UV or chemical disinfection is required to remove them

Features of Reverse Osmosis

Apart from many advantages and disadvantages, there are many features of RO which makes it useful in usage. Some of the basic and key features of RO are:

• High-efficiencyFiltration: RO is efficient in removing dissolved particles which can be as small as ions making it an efficient way of purifying water
• High-rejectionRate: RO can remove a limited amount of 99% of dissolved salts and other impurities in the water therefore making it useful for desalination and other purification applications
• Low-maintenance: The RO system requires minimal maintenance and the semi-permeable membrane can even last for several years before needing replacement
• EnergyEfficient: The process of reverse osmosis is energy efficient and the natural pressure of the feed water through the membrane
• PortableandCompact: Reverse Osmosis systems are compact and portable in nature which make them suitable for usage in any kind of environment.