The Principle of Reverse Osmosis and Nanofiltration - Complete Water Solutions

5/5/22, 4:47 PM The Principle of Reverse Osmosis and Nanofiltration - Complete Water Solutions
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The Principle of Reverse Osmosis and

Nanofiltration
January 7, 2020 - Nathan Olszak
THE PRINCIPLE OF REVERSE

OSMOSIS AND
NANOFILTRATION
How Reverse Osmosis Works

The natural phenomenon of osmosis occurs when pure water flows from a dilute saline
solution through a membrane into a higher concentrated saline solution.
The phenomenon is illustrated below: A semi-permeable membrane is placed between two

compartments. “Semi-permeable” means that the membrane is permeable to some species,
and not permeable to others. Assume that the membrane is permeable to water, but not to
salt. Then, imagine placing a salt solution in one compartment and pure water in the other
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compartment.
 The membrane
info@complete-water.com will allow water to
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 through
 it to
either side, butPORTAL
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cannot pass through the membrane.
Osmosis
Water diffuses through a semi-permeable membrane toward a region of higher concentration to equalize strength. The height difference
between the columns/compartments is known as the “osmotic” pressure.
Reverse Osmosis
Applied pressure in excess of osmotic pressure reverses water flow direction. Hence the term “reverse osmosis”.
As a fundamental rule of nature, this system will try to reach an equilibrium. That is, it will
attempt to reach an equal concentration on both sides of the membrane. The only possible
way to reach equilibrium is for water to pass from the pure water compartment to the salt-
containing compartment, diluting the concentration of the salt solution.
Also visible in the illustration above, osmosis can cause a rise in the height of the salt solution.
This will continue to increase until the pressure of the column (salt solution) is so high that the
force of this water will stop the water flow. The equilibrium point of this water column height
in terms of water pressure against the membrane is called osmotic pressure.
If a force is applied to this column of water, however, the direction of water flow through the
membrane can be reversed. This is the basis of the term “reverse osmosis”. Note that, due to
the semi-permeability of the membrane, the reversed flow produces pure water from the salt
solution, as the membrane is not permeable to salt.
How Nanofiltration Works

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Nanofiltration membranes are not a complete barrier to dissolved salts. Depending on the
type of salt and the type of membrane, the salt permeability may be low or high. If the salt
permeability is low, the osmotic pressure difference between the two compartments may
become almost as high in reverse osmosis. However, a high salt permeability of the
membrane would not allow the salt concentrations in the two compartments to remain very
different. Thus, osmotic pressure plays a minor role if the salt permeability is high.
How to Use RO and Nanofiltration in

Practice
In practice, reverse osmosis and nanofiltration are applied as a crossflow filtration process.
The simplified process is shown in the figure below.
With a high pressure pump, feed water is continuously pumped at elevated pressure to the
membrane system. Within the membrane system, the feed water will be split into a low-
saline and/or purified product, called permeate, and a high saline or concentrated brine, called
concentrate or reject. A flow regulating valve, called a concentrate valve, controls the
percentage of feedwater that is going to the concentrate stream and the permeate which will
be obtained from the feed.
Key Terms Used in the

RO/Nanofiltration Process
Recovery – the percentage of membrane system feedwater that emerges from the system as
product water or “permeate”. Membrane system design is based on expected feedwater
quality and recovery is defined through initial adjustment of valves on the concentrate stream.
Recovery is often fixed at the highest level that maximizes permeate flow while preventing
precipitation of super-saturated salts within the membrane system.
Rejection – the percentage of solute concentration removed from system feedwater by the
membrane. In reverse osmosis, high rejection of total dissolved solids (TDS) is important,
while in nanofiltration, the solutes of interest are specific, e.g., low rejection for hardness and
high rejection for organic matter.
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5/5/22, 4:47 PM The Principle of Reverse Osmosis and Nanofiltration - Complete Water Solutions

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