Water filtration and purification are two crucial steps to ensure that the water you’re drinking is safe for your body. If you’re considering a water treatment system, here is a comparison between nanofiltration and reverse osmosis which are two of the most popular and common techniques employed for purifying and filtering drinking water.
Comparing Nanofiltration And Reverse Osmosis Filtration Systems
The Process
First and foremost, you need to understand how each process works. This is what will distinguish the two and it will make it easier to understand what process does what.
Nanofiltration
So, as far as nanofiltration is concerned, it is a process of removing solute from solvent with the help of a membrane. This process is quite easy to explain. First of all, water, which is in large quantities, is known as a solvent and the impurities present in trace, but unacceptable quantities, are known as solute.
So, the principle of nanofiltration works based on removing the solute or impurities from the solvent or water with the help of a membrane. This is a very special membrane of a specific micron size.
Reverse Osmosis
Reverse osmosis, on the other hand, is the process where pressure is applied on the semi-permeable membrane and water moves from the region of high concentration (with more impurities) to a lower concentration (with no or fewer impurities).
The membrane that allows the transfer keeps the impurities on the other side of everything so that you get almost 99.9% pure water at the end of it all. It is a very effective process for removing impurities from water.
Benefits
To gauge a process, the benefits or pros are what matter the most. They tell you whether a process is even worth it or not.
Nanofiltration
So, when it comes to nanofiltration, there are a lot of things that can make you invest in this water filtration system.
First of all, thanks to the very small pore size, nanofiltration allows everything to be removed from the water, as long as it’s bigger than the pore size of the nanofilter. Secondly, it can also remove bacteria and it also helps in desalination of water, which is something not a lot of filtration processes can do.
Reverse Osmosis
A reverse osmosis system MD is also capable of removing a lot of impurities, ranging from hazardous metals, compounds, PFAS, chlorine, and even arsenic. It also gives 99.9% purity and it’s something that not a lot of water filtration or purification plants can offer. The main advantage of RO is the low maintenance costs.
Even though the initial investment is quite hefty, it will pay you off in the future when you’re not wasting money on plastic bottles or other experimental water purification techniques, when you’ve got a one-stop shop for everything related to water and its purification.
Disadvantages
To be realistic and make a better decision in the end, you also want to know about the disadvantages of the processes. This makes for an all-rounded comparison and nothing is hidden from you.
Nanofiltration
One of the most painstaking things about nanofiltration is the maintenance. Since the pore size is super small, it can lead to contamination and fouling, for which cleaning the membrane and maintaining it is super important.
This can cause a lot of problems because you can end up tearing the membrane if you’re not too careful. Also, improper use of the system can lead to nanofiltration membrane fouling which can cause secondary pollution.
Reverse Osmosis
There are also a couple of things that just don’t sit right with people about RO systems. First is the price. Reverse osmosis plants and systems are very expensive and even though it is a sound investment, a lot of people just can’t justify the price. In line with high prices, RO systems can also lead to higher electricity bills which is never good.
On top of it all, the maintenance is also heavy. If you don’t maintain the RO system, the water recovery rate will drop significantly and that is not ideal.
Pore Size
Even though both reverse osmosis and nanofiltration employ the use of a membrane to purify and treat water, the pore size is where everything is different.
Nanofiltration
Nanofiltration systems have a membrane with a pore size of anywhere between 1-10 nanometers, hence the name. This membrane is very fine and it lets all of the impurities stay back.
Reverse Osmosis
For reverse osmosis, the membrane is more like a semi-permeable membrane, almost as large as 0.0001 micron. It allows larger molecules of water to pass through it but it will stop all of the impurities.
Operating Pressure
Besides the membrane, the pressure at which the water is pushed towards the membrane for purification is also important to consider. This is what sets apart different processes and the pressure can ultimately make or break the purification process of water.
Nanofiltration
Nanofiltration has much less operating pressure. The value lies anywhere between 0.5 to 2.5 MPa and it is the force exerted in the water when it comes in contact with the membrane. This allows the water to be pushed out successfully over to the other side, but the impurities stay behind.
Reverse Osmosis
The operating pressure in reverse osmosis is slightly higher than the former, and that is because reverse osmosis has a higher degree of filtration and purification. The pressure exerted on the water to pass through the membrane is anywhere between 3 to 4 MPa and it provides very precise filtration of the water.
Add to that the very fine, semi-permeable membrane and the water you’ll get will be almost 100% pure without any impurities in it. The operating pressure is ultimately what ensures better purification and here reverse osmosis takes the lead.
Which One Is Better?
This is a question whose answer is not as straightforward. There are a lot of things that you need to consider when it comes to choosing a certain process for water filtration and purification.
Nanofiltration
Nanofiltration an excellent filtration process, but it is not as precise as reverse osmosis filtration. It is second in line when it comes to effective purification and, sometimes, it’s preferred.
So, if your water has a lot of chemicals and bacteria in it that you want removed, and there is no other impurity in it that is hard to remove, then you can go for a nanofiltration system. It will get the job done, you will have pure water and there won’t be anything to worry about in the long run.
Reverse Osmosis
The first thing that you need to look out for is the composition of the water and the presence of impurities in it. If there are a lot of divalent and monovalent ions in the water, then you need to get an RO system for the best results.
It will remove almost everything from the water, leading to better-tasting water, which is also good for your health.
Conclusion
Nanofiltration and reverse osmosis are different based on the filtration abilities. Nonetheless, they are two of the best water filtration methods. And two know which one is right for you, get your water tested before getting a well water filtration system Jefferson County.
