Basics of Reverse Osmosis
What is Reverse Osmosis?
Reverse Osmosis is a technology that is used to remove a large majority of contaminants from water by
pushing the water under pressure through a semi permeable membrane. This paper is aimed towards an audience that has little of no experience with Reverse Osmosis and will attempt to explain the basics
in simple terms that should leave the reader with a better overall understanding of Reverse Osmosis technology and its applications.
Basics of Reverse Osmosis
What is Reverse Osmosis?
Reverse Osmosis is a technology that is used to remove a large majority of contaminants from water by
pushing the water under pressure through a semi permeable membrane. This paper is aimed towards an audience that has little of no experience with Reverse Osmosis and will attempt to explain the basics
in simple terms that should leave the reader with a better overall understanding of Reverse Osmosis technology and its applications.
Assessment Of Best Available Technologies For Desalination In Rural/Local Areas
Introduction: The Sustainable Water Integrated Management (SWIM) is a European Union(EU)-funded Regional Technical
Assistance Program [1] that “aims at supporting water governance and mainstreaming by promoting sustainable
and equitable water resources management to become a prominent feature of national development policies and
strategies (agriculture, industry, tourism, etc).” [2]
Countries in the south of the Mediterranean are facing increasing water scarcity. This scarcity is driving the need
for augmenting conventional water supply with alternative water sources. Rural and remote areas are particularly
disadvantaged because such areas are often located far away from municipal water supply systems and
conventional water sources, and are often not connected to the electric power grid. There is good potential for
addressing the water scarcity problem in rural and remote areas through sustainable saline water desalination
technologies. Seawater and brackish water desalination are well-established industries comprising a wide variety
of available technologies with decades of accumulated experience. There are many advancements and evolution in
desalination technologies. The numerous technologies and processes available have different characteristics,
advantages and disadvantages that make each suitable for particular market segments or specific niches.
Moreover, much of the cumulative technology experience is related to large urban supply plants that are either
connected to the grid, or are themselves part of large power and desalination cogeneration plants. Rural and
remote areas have special requirements that influence the appropriate selection of technologies. These include
technical requirements related to small-scale application using renewable energy sources, ease of operation and
maintenance, and simple design; requirements dictated by geographical location; as well as socio-economic and
socio-cultural requirements related to the communities that are intended to operate and benefit from the
technology. Successful implementation and long term sustainability (operational and environmental sustainability)
of desalination projects for rural and remote locations requires that all the relevant requirements be identified and
addressed from the earliest stages of the project.
Assessment Of Best Available Technologies For Desalination In Rural/Local Areas
Introduction: The Sustainable Water Integrated Management (SWIM) is a European Union(EU)-funded Regional Technical
Assistance Program [1] that “aims at supporting water governance and mainstreaming by promoting sustainable
and equitable water resources management to become a prominent feature of national development policies and
strategies (agriculture, industry, tourism, etc).” [2]
Countries in the south of the Mediterranean are facing increasing water scarcity. This scarcity is driving the need
for augmenting conventional water supply with alternative water sources. Rural and remote areas are particularly
disadvantaged because such areas are often located far away from municipal water supply systems and
conventional water sources, and are often not connected to the electric power grid. There is good potential for
addressing the water scarcity problem in rural and remote areas through sustainable saline water desalination
technologies. Seawater and brackish water desalination are well-established industries comprising a wide variety
of available technologies with decades of accumulated experience. There are many advancements and evolution in
desalination technologies. The numerous technologies and processes available have different characteristics,
advantages and disadvantages that make each suitable for particular market segments or specific niches.
Moreover, much of the cumulative technology experience is related to large urban supply plants that are either
connected to the grid, or are themselves part of large power and desalination cogeneration plants. Rural and
remote areas have special requirements that influence the appropriate selection of technologies. These include
technical requirements related to small-scale application using renewable energy sources, ease of operation and
maintenance, and simple design; requirements dictated by geographical location; as well as socio-economic and
socio-cultural requirements related to the communities that are intended to operate and benefit from the
technology. Successful implementation and long term sustainability (operational and environmental sustainability)
of desalination projects for rural and remote locations requires that all the relevant requirements be identified and
addressed from the earliest stages of the project.
An Introduction To Membrane Techniques For Water Desalination
This course is adapted from the Unified Facilities Criteria of the United States government, which is in the
public domain, is authorized for unlimited distribution, and is not copyrighted.
An Introduction To Membrane Techniques For Water Desalination
This course is adapted from the Unified Facilities Criteria of the United States government, which is in the
public domain, is authorized for unlimited distribution, and is not copyrighted.
Tailoring Advanced Desalination Technologies for 21st Century Agriculture
Abstract: Substantial parts of the U.S., particularly drier landlocked regions, are facing acute water shortages and water quality issues that decrease agricultural productivity. Reduced crop yields cause billions of dollars in losses annually, affecting the livelihoods of thousands. A combination of population growth, inefficient agricultural practices, and resource demanding consumption trends is only expected to increase pressure on our water supplies. This research proposal seeks to address water and food security issues by cost-effectively and energy-efficiently enhancing water quality and water supply in greenhouses; a $22.93 billion dollar industry in 2017 that is rapidly growing at an annual rate of 8.92%. Greenhouses widely practice desalination of salty irrigation water to improve their operations. However, currently used desalination methods do not tailor greenhouse waters based on crop requirements. This work investigates a fully integrated desalination solution that treats and tailors brackish source waters ingreenhouses to save fertilizer and water. Specifically, this project experimentally studies multi-ion transport in and assesses the economic viable of monovalent selective electrodialysis (MSED). MSED allows for the selective removal of monovalent ions damaging to crops and the retention of divalent ions beneficial for crops, unlike the widely used reverse osmosis (RO), which removes all ions from greenhouse source water. First, we evaluate the techno-economic feasibility of MSED compared to other brackish desalination technologies for agricultural applications, based on primary market research we conduct with over 70 greenhouses.
These include conventional technologies, such as reverse osmosis (RO) and electrodialysis (ED), and advanced technologies, such as closed circuit reverse osmosis (CCRO). The analysis determines the levelized costs of water, the capital costs and energy requirements of these technologies, and how these vary with feed salinity, system capacity and recovery ratio. Then, we build a bench-scale setup to experientially characterize MSED membrane properties, including monovalent selectivity, ion transport, limiting current and resistance, for multiple brackish feedwaters and for two sets of MSED membranes: the widely used Neosepta ACS/CMS membranes and the new Fujifilm Type 16 membranes. Both MSED membranes show notable monovalent selectivity for all tested compositions, reflecting the potential of the technology for selective desalination in greenhouses. The measurements are compared to a model for MSED in multi-ion solutions. The model predicts multi-ion transport for the Neosepta and Fujifilm MSED systems within 6% and 8%, respectively.
Tailoring Advanced Desalination Technologies for 21st Century Agriculture
Abstract: Substantial parts of the U.S., particularly drier landlocked regions, are facing acute water shortages and water quality issues that decrease agricultural productivity. Reduced crop yields cause billions of dollars in losses annually, affecting the livelihoods of thousands. A combination of population growth, inefficient agricultural practices, and resource demanding consumption trends is only expected to increase pressure on our water supplies. This research proposal seeks to address water and food security issues by cost-effectively and energy-efficiently enhancing water quality and water supply in greenhouses; a $22.93 billion dollar industry in 2017 that is rapidly growing at an annual rate of 8.92%. Greenhouses widely practice desalination of salty irrigation water to improve their operations. However, currently used desalination methods do not tailor greenhouse waters based on crop requirements. This work investigates a fully integrated desalination solution that treats and tailors brackish source waters ingreenhouses to save fertilizer and water. Specifically, this project experimentally studies multi-ion transport in and assesses the economic viable of monovalent selective electrodialysis (MSED). MSED allows for the selective removal of monovalent ions damaging to crops and the retention of divalent ions beneficial for crops, unlike the widely used reverse osmosis (RO), which removes all ions from greenhouse source water. First, we evaluate the techno-economic feasibility of MSED compared to other brackish desalination technologies for agricultural applications, based on primary market research we conduct with over 70 greenhouses.
These include conventional technologies, such as reverse osmosis (RO) and electrodialysis (ED), and advanced technologies, such as closed circuit reverse osmosis (CCRO). The analysis determines the levelized costs of water, the capital costs and energy requirements of these technologies, and how these vary with feed salinity, system capacity and recovery ratio. Then, we build a bench-scale setup to experientially characterize MSED membrane properties, including monovalent selectivity, ion transport, limiting current and resistance, for multiple brackish feedwaters and for two sets of MSED membranes: the widely used Neosepta ACS/CMS membranes and the new Fujifilm Type 16 membranes. Both MSED membranes show notable monovalent selectivity for all tested compositions, reflecting the potential of the technology for selective desalination in greenhouses. The measurements are compared to a model for MSED in multi-ion solutions. The model predicts multi-ion transport for the Neosepta and Fujifilm MSED systems within 6% and 8%, respectively.
A Primer On Brackish And Seawater Desalination
Abstract: This publication was produced as an activity of the Texas Living Waters Project. This project
is a collaborative effort of the National Wildlife Federation, Environmental Defense, and the Lone
Star Chapter of the Sierra Club. The goals of the project are to 1) ensure adequate water for people
and environmental needs, 2) reduce future demand for water and foster efficient and sustainable use
of current water supplies, 3) educate the public and decision makers about the impact of wasteful
water use and the opportunities for water conservation, and 4) involve citizens in the decision
making process for water management.
A Primer On Brackish And Seawater Desalination
Abstract: This publication was produced as an activity of the Texas Living Waters Project. This project
is a collaborative effort of the National Wildlife Federation, Environmental Defense, and the Lone
Star Chapter of the Sierra Club. The goals of the project are to 1) ensure adequate water for people
and environmental needs, 2) reduce future demand for water and foster efficient and sustainable use
of current water supplies, 3) educate the public and decision makers about the impact of wasteful
water use and the opportunities for water conservation, and 4) involve citizens in the decision
making process for water management.