As a concept, “reverse osmosis” is one of the most popular and intriguing topics on social media. To appeal to a larger audience, we have broken down the process of reverse osmosis systems are and what the systems are used for. Put simply, “osmosis” is the movement of water molecules into a denser environment than their current state. For example, rainwater with fewer components moves towards denser saltwater containing more components. Reverse osmosis is the complete reversal of this naturally occurring phenomenon through human intervention. For the reverse osmosis process, it can be just any water, whether it be the water that comes from your garden well or the city’s dam. Reverse osmosis removes undesirable sediments, chlorine and various other contaminants in dense water that are not visible making it “cleaner” and “less dense.”
In that respect, reverse osmosis water systems prove to be the most widely used and advanced technology in the field of water treatment. This technology, A.O. Smith uses to provide you with cleaner and healthier drinking water, treats water, regardless of its source, in a process of various stages by complying with all the applicable standards in Turkey (TS 266 Water Intended for Human Consumption). We can consider the first three stages of filtration as the vanguards of this process. Water passes through these filters and reaches the membrane, which is the most crucial component of this system. The final step is about rebalancing the taste and smell.
The systems on our water treatment products work as follows:
The 5-micron Sediment Filter filters out rust, sand, other large particles and foreign substances.
The Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) Filter absorbs by-products such as chlorine, mold etc. and disinfection by-products, besides foreign substances causing odor and coloring.
The 1 Micron Sediment Filter or Composite Filter removes smaller particles, suspended sediments and colloids that pass the first two filters.
The Reverse Osmosis (RO) Membrane consists of multiple layers and a semi-permeable membrane which is the “osmosis membrane” in which bacteria, viruses, heavy metals, pesticide residues and other harmful substances in the water are removed.
An Inline Carbon Filter balances the taste and smell of the water.
Why Do Reverse Osmosis Systems Discharge Wastewater?
Reverse Osmosis systems discharge waste due to how the osmosis membrane inside functions.
Simply put, the osmosis membrane resembles a special structure featuring 40-50 pieces of paper with a special tissue wrapped around a thin tube with channels inside. These pieces of paper have microscopic pores. Water is pushed with a high pressure and enters from one end of the inner tube, spirals through all layers of paper and is directed to two separate outlet channels inside the tube.
While the membrane filter treats the water, it divides the water into two at the outlet. Fully treated water is sent to channel 1 for drinking. While a certain amount of water is directed to channel 2, which contains all pollutants that are removed from the water that is entered into the system. It is essentially wastewater. There is no reverse osmosis membrane technology that does not produce wastewater. It is very important to remove all harmful pollutants filtered from the water from the reverse osmosis unit.
It is also important to pay attention to how much wastewater the unit produces. To obtain one glass of drinking water using an ordinary water treatment system, three to five glasses of waste water are discharged. The patented membrane technology used in A.O. Smith products on the other hand produces only one glass of wastewater to obtain one glass of drinking water.
Technologically advanced and environmentally friendly devices set A.O. Smith apart from other device manufacturers. That is what makes the filtration and the Reverse Osmosis System so different from one another. Filtration is an appellation for systems that do not produce wastewater. However, filtration does not remove harmful substances such as heavy metals, viruses and bacteria from the water. Filtration, which represents only the first three stages of reverse osmosis systems, removes only sediment and chlorine. Even after the filtration process, the water still contains substances that are harmful to health.
