Does Reverse Osmosis Filtration waste a lot of water?

Reverse Osmosis water systems work by passing pressurized water through a semi-permeable membrane, so that the permeate water (purified water) is stripped off of almost all the dissolved salts and other impurities, thereby purifying it. The reject water with high concentration of solutes is eliminated. To give you a fair idea of the amounts of water rejected, a typical domestic RO system will generate about 10 gallons of purified water from 40 gallons of raw water – this means 75% of water is rejected.

 

However, “rejected” water may not always mean “wasted” water. The reject water with relatively high concentration of solutes may not be suitable for drinking purposes, but it definitely finds several other uses – this water can be used to wash clothes, to wash dishes, to wash cars, to flush toilets. All you need to do to make good use of the reject water is to connect the reject water pipeline to a suitable reservoir, and use this water. In order to improve the efficiency of RO systems, some very intelligent systems have been introduced to the market that reuse the reject water so that the efficiency of the RO system increases from 25% to 50%. You may opt for such systems if you are conscious about the high proportion of reject water generated from your RO system. There are also RO systems that feature a built in “reject water tank” to hold the reject water. This could be a very practical and handy way to collect the reject water and use it for activities like mopping floors or washing dishes. Such RO systems ensure “zero water wastage”.

RO is a revolutionary concept in the field of water purification. It ensures contaminant-free, pure water for your family, and at very affordable costs. If you are worried about an increase in your water bills because of the lower efficiency of RO systems, rest assured, the system does not use enough water to show up in your water bill. After all, how much water does one consume in a day? If you buy a 10 gallons per day (GPD) system, the total water used by this system would be only 40 gallons. If you hold an eco-friendly perspective and are worried about water being wasted, you still need not worry about the water efficiency of such systems, since with little effort, you can use the reject water and make your own little contributions towards saving water.

Get yourself an RO system, and ensure good health for you and your family, without worrying about water wastage.

Do Reverse Osmosis (RO) filters remove healthy minerals from water?

Reverse Osmosis, popularly known as RO, is currently the most advanced technology for water purification. RO works on the basic premise of removing all molecules that are smaller than a water molecule. RO is a powerful method to remove all kinds of contaminants from water – be it salt, fluoride, bromide, mercury, copper, cyanide, lead, bacteria, viruses, protozoa – everything. Thus, it also removes the “healthy”

minerals such as calcium and magnesium. This created some amount of confusion and disagreement within the medical and water communities. The World Health Organization (WHO) then clarified that the majority of essential minerals needed by the human body are obtained from food, and not from drinking water. Only a few minerals in natural waters have sufficient concentrations and distribution to expect that their consumption in drinking water might sometimes be a significant supplement to dietary intake in some populations. An illustrative example: one glass of orange juice has the same amount of minerals as 30 gallons of tap water. Relying on drinking water to fulfil the requirements for these minerals does not hold much ground. In fact, tap water, in addition to these healthy minerals, has a large variety of other minerals that the human body has difficulty absorbing. These (inorganic) minerals are suspected to cause many diseases such as hardening of the arteries (due to deposition of these minerals along the arteries), arthritis (due to deposition of minerals in the joints), kidney stones, gall stones, glaucoma, cataract, and hearing loss. The high concentrations of minerals, found especially in “hard” tap waters, are poorly absorbed by the body, and if not removed from the body, can cause obstructions to the regular functioning of critical body parts such as the arterial flow, and cause internal damages.

RO effectively removes all these harmful inorganic minerals. The body no longer ingests substances that it is incapable of absorbing and assimilating. This saves the body from a lot of stress and metabolism issues, and helps in maintaining good health. As per the International Water Association (IWA), consumers should not be concerned about the removal of minerals by RO systems. As pointed out by the WHO, the human body receives essential minerals through food, and does not need to rely on drinking water for this requirement. Although certain minerals in water may be useful in providing essential micronutrients, such as calcium, magnesium and zinc, so far there are no guidelines on minimum concentrations of these minerals in drinking water. Moreover, RO helps in removing a myriad of unhealthy, harmful minerals from drinking water, and hence it is recommended that RO systems be used for treating drinking water.

Reverse Osmosis is the only technology that can remove dangerous pharmaceuticals and drugs from drinking water. It can even remove radioactive substances and poisonous compounds such as cyanide. The increasing amounts of complex contaminants such as chemicals, drugs, carcinogenic compounds and radioactive minerals in water necessitates the requirement of a powerful and effective water purification system such as RO to keep you and your family safe and healthy.

Better Quality of Water = Better Quality of Life

Water is one of the essentials of life, apart from food and oxygen. Just like air pollution can cause various diseases and bad food can lead to food poisoning, bad water can have many adverse health effects. It is generally known that water that comes to your house is treated at the water treatment plants of your respective municipality. However, according to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, even though drinking water in the United States is among the safest in the world, even in the U.S., drinking water sources can become contaminated, and cause waterborne diseases such as Hepatitis A. Some water supplies may also contain disinfection by-products such as chlorine, chloramine, organic and inorganic chemicals, and even radionuclides. Even though the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates and sets standards for public drinking water, more and more Americans are now using home water treatment units to remove possible contaminants, and improve the taste of water. This is even more important if the family has a member with a compromised immune system. According to the Water Quality Association, more than 40% of Americans use a home water treatment unit.

Boiling water for a full one minute is perhaps the most effective means of water purification. However, boiled water does not taste good. Water filters and water purifiers are available in the market that can provide varying degrees of contaminant removal. The EPA suggests that before purchasing a home water treatment unit, you should consider various factors such as local water quality, cost of maintenance, product performance, and certifications that assure that the product will meet your needs. This way, you can save some money, and avoid making the wrong choice.

One of the major microbial contaminants in drinking water is Cryptospiridium. This is a microscopic parasite that is resistant to chlorine-based disinfectants, and is a common cause of waterborne illness. Use filters that remove particles less than 1 micron in diameter, to ensure removal of Cryptospiridium. Such filters are labelled as “absolute one micron filters”. Reverse osmosis based systems can do this job. Other treatments include distillation, UV, and filters labelled with absolute one micron. Remember that these pathogens can enter your body through other means as well such as through water used for brushing teeth, washing fruits and vegetables etc. – and not just through the water you drink. If you have such concerns, you may go for a whole-house reverse osmosis systems that will enable each and every faucet in your home to provide purified water, free from all pathogens and contaminants.

Below is a list of the different kinds of water filtration systems, and the specific benefits they provide:

1.       Filter Pitchers – Very affordable, and minimum maintenance. These pitchers use granular activated carbon to trap contaminants. Some filters may also use fabric, fiber, or ceramic screening to physically remove contaminants.

2.       Distillers – Water is boiled, and the condensate collected, which is free from all of its solubles. Distilled water tastes flat, because the water’s natural minerals and dissolved oxygen also get removed.

3.       Reverse osmosis units – RO forces water through a semi-permeable membrane under pressure, to remove all contaminants and pathogens. By far, RO is the most sophisticated technology for water purification. RO can even turn sea water into fresh drinking water!

4.       UV – these purifiers use the power of ultraviolet light to kill all pathogens. However, if the system does not have an ultra-filter, then it may not help against chemical contaminants. UV filters require very little maintenance.  

Even when going for bottled water, check the label or check with the bottler on the technology used for treating water.

Make sure that the purifier you intend to purchase addresses all your concerns. Make the right choice to enhance the quality of life for yourself and your family.