There is a growing concern regarding the safety and quality of drinking water due to ageing infrastructure, pollution, and other factors that degrade water quality. This is why MANZI Water utilises reverse osmosis in their purification process to ensure the highest possible water quality.
Reverse osmosis is a powerful water purification method and we want to help you understand how this process works and how it provides clean, purified water.
What Is Reverse Osmosis?
Reverse osmosis is a multi-stage water treatment process that uses pressure to force unfiltered water, or feed water, through a semi-permeable membrane, removing up to 99% of impurities. It is one of today’s most effective water purification methods.
Stages of The Reverse Osmosis Process
Here is a basic overview of what reverse osmosis entails:
Step 1: Pre-filtration
This initial step involves passing the feed water through physical and chemical filters, such as sediment and carbon filters. These remove large particles, sediment, and some chemicals, like chlorine, which could damage or block the semi-permeable membrane of the reverse osmosis filter. Pre-filtration helps preserve the reverse osmosis system.
Step 2: Reverse Osmosis
After pre-filtration, the water is pumped under pressure through the semi-permeable membrane of the reverse osmosis filter. This membrane has microscopic openings that allow clean water to pass while trapping dissolved particles and other impurities. This stage is often repeated multiple times to ensure the water is free of impurities.
Step 3: Storage
Finally, the purified water is pumped from the reverse osmosis filter to a storage tank. Since the filtration process can be time-consuming, storing water ensures it is available on demand. MANZI Water maintains large storage tanks at each of their outlets, with over 100 throughout South Africa, ensuring a plentiful supply of high-quality drinking water.
What The Process Removes
Reverse osmosis effectively removes up to 99% of the following impurities from water:
- Dissolved Solids: It significantly reduces the total dissolved solids (TDS) in water, which include salts, metals, and some organic matter that are harmful, such as lead, chlorine, and mercury.
- Pesticides and Herbicides: These chemicals often leach into water sources and are harmful if ingested. Reverse osmosis can effectively remove these substances, ensuring the water is safe to drink.
- Pathogens: The process also removes pathogens like viruses and bacteria, which are too large to pass through the membrane’s openings and can cause illness if ingested.
Conclusion
As we have seen, reverse osmosis is a powerful, multi-stage filtration process that removes up to 99% of harmful impurities from water. For the best and healthiest drinking water, turn to MANZI Water. Their comprehensive water filtration process includes reverse osmosis, UV protection, and ozone treatment, ensuring the highest quality water for their customers.