Reverse osmosis diagram
Image
Schematic diagram:
Reverse osmosis is one possible physical method for purifying water using membrane filters.
Type of media:
Image (117.0 kByte)
Last update:
2018-10-26
License:
This medium is made available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 international license.
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This medium is made available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 international license.
What does this mean?
How to reference this medium
Media package:
Description:
In this process, pressure is applied to salty water, pressing it against a semi-permeable membrane with extremely small pores. The pore size allows water molecules of around 0.28 nm to pass through, while salt ions are kept back. (Although salt ions in and of themselves are smaller than water molecules, in this case they are significantly larger due to their bonded hydration shell).
This process is used in large plants around the world to desalinate seawater in areas with shortages of drinking water.
Information and ideas:
In addition to reverse osmosis, there are other membrane filter procedures that differ in the pore size of the membrane:
• Microfiltration
• Ultrafiltration
• Nanofiltration
This process is used in large plants around the world to desalinate seawater in areas with shortages of drinking water.
Information and ideas:
In addition to reverse osmosis, there are other membrane filter procedures that differ in the pore size of the membrane:
• Microfiltration
• Ultrafiltration
• Nanofiltration
Related media:
There are no other media directly related to this file.
Learning resource type:
Illustration
Subjects:
Chemistry; Physics; Technology
Grade levels:
Grade 7 to 9; Grade 10 to 13
School types:
Middle/high school
Keywords:
Chemical compound; Drinking water; Nanotechnology; Water treatment; Desalination plant; Drinking water treatment; Membrane filter; Microfilter; Nanotechnology; Water filter
Bibliography:
Siemens Stiftung Media Portal
Author:
MediaHouse GmbH
Rights holder:
© Siemens Stiftung 2016