Jornal de Ciência e Tecnologia de Membranas

Abstrato

Using Different Tools to Evaluate Reverse Osmosis (RO) Drinking Water Treatment

Kate Wilson

The ability of Reverse Osmosis (RO) to remove organic micro pollutants from a range of water matrices has been demonstrated. Under the driving force of an externally applied pressure, semipermeable membranes remove solutes from water molecules. Solvent and solutes are transferred to the permeate side independently via their transmembrane chemical potential gradient in a solution– diffusion mechanism through RO membranes. Organics' diffusion is hampered mostly by compound size, which is regulated by the charge and hydrophobicity of solutes and membranes. Physical separation is the basic mechanism for chemical removal by RO, therefore by-products are unlikely unless the membrane integrity is damaged or the feed water is disinfected.