Given how advanced reverse osmosis water filtration technology is, it’s not surprising that the growing demand for RO systems has driven up their cost. Here’s a blog we wrote on the subject before: How Does a Reverse Osmosis Filter System Work? The RO system removes contaminants effectively, resulting in high-quality, clean, and healthy water for consumption and cooking.However, it also creates wastewater, which is a major issue for consumers. Reverse osmosis systems may produce up to four cups of wastewater for every cup of filtered water.
How is this possible?
The reverse osmosis technique consumes more feed water and generates less filtered water. Let’s see what we can learn by discussing the working mechanism of reverse osmosis.
Reverse osmosis is a water treatment method in which water is forced through numerous extremely-fined membranes. It prevents dangerous elements such as heavy metals, sediments, viruses, germs, and other contaminants from passing.
There are no pollutants in the water that passes through the RO membrane. However, because the concentrated water on the other side of the membrane is “wastewater,” it contains all of the removed impurities. It is eventually discharged.
How much wastewater is produced by the reverse osmosis system?
This depends on the water pressure of the system. The typical reverse osmosis water filter systems consume approximately four gallons of wastewater for every gallon of clean water produced. Because of the water tank and the resulting low pressure of 7-8 psi, this is the case. The optimum pressure should be around 35-40 psi.
However, reverse osmosis filtration is more efficient with modern technologies. Tanks are no longer used in modern reverse osmosis systems. Instead, they have strong internal pumps for raising water pressure.
Because of the low pressure, you can only consume 75 gallons of clean water per day from a regular RO system. By comparison, advanced tankless water heaters can provide up to 800 gallons of clean drinking water. The vast majority (around 92%) of discharged wastewater is returned to the ecosystem as a result of these processes. The second option, which involves aeration or microfiltration, produces 2 gallons of pure water for every gallon of waste.
The Waterdrop G2P600 is a popular choice among reverse osmosis systems since it has a 600 GDP large water capacity. For every two cups of pure water it dispenses, it uses up only a cup of wastewater. Unlike the traditional RO water purifiers with tanks, this model is tankless and can help you save up to 600% more water.
The efficiency of the system is also significantly affected by the condition of the filter. If your valve is worn down, the wastewater system will almost certainly generate more waste. This issue can be addressed through a company’s maintenance culture.
Reducing Waste Water
The simplest solution is to increase the drain ratio of both criteria described above.
Maintain an adequate water pressure level
At lower water pressure, the reverse osmosis system will produce more wastewater. Running at a pressure of less than 35-40 psi, therefore, can be detrimental. If your pressure valve is okay but the pressure is still low, please contact your local water authority to determine whether there may be a problem with the pressure.
Maintain your water filter properly
The only way to get the most out of reverse osmosis filters is to check them on a regular basis.A five-stage filter cartridge system is included with most reverse osmosis water filters. Each stage has its own distinct filter that is geared toward detecting a specific set of pollutants. Thus, the service life of each filter is different. The average service life of a reverse osmosis filter is between one year and two years, although it might be shorter or longer.
Filters should be replaced when they expire, since this decreases the lifespan of your water filter. This, in conjunction with other maintenance procedures, may help you get the greatest filtration results and maximum efficiency.
