{"id":6188,"date":"2021-07-04T14:46:26","date_gmt":"2021-07-04T12:46:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bestelements.de\/?p=6188"},"modified":"2023-04-16T08:58:10","modified_gmt":"2023-04-16T06:58:10","slug":"umkehrosmose-gut-oder-schlecht-osmose-funktionsprinzip-wasserfilter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bestelements.de\/en\/einfach-erklaert\/umkehrosmose-gut-oder-schlecht-osmose-funktionsprinzip-wasserfilter\/","title":{"rendered":"How good is reverse osmosis – osmosis working principle of water filters"},"content":{"rendered":"

Biological, natural, vital<\/h2><\/div>

Osmosis is a biological, natural and vital process that happens permanently in our cells and other living beings. Osmosis represents the saturation balance that our cell water strives to achieve in the body.<\/p>\n

When consuming salt water or other liquids saturated with additives, for example, these get into the organism, but do not yet penetrate the body cells. The cell walls, also called cell membranes, form a barrier, but they are semi-permeable. This means that water molecules get through, but larger solutes cannot. The osmotic pressure even increases the water column in the experimental setup shown.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

Osmose<\/h2><\/div>
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Reverse osmosis<\/h2><\/div>
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\u2588 Ultrapure water <\/span>\u2588 Raw water (also salt water)<\/span> \u2588 Semi-permeable membrane<\/span>\u00a0\u2588 Osmotic pressure<\/span>\u00a0\u2588 Pressure applied<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

Comparison of purity of filtration technologies<\/h3><\/div>
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This effect of the semipermeable membrane is used in reverse osmosis. Conversely, if you exert pressure on the saturated solution, only pure water molecules pass through the semi-permeable membrane.<\/p>\n

The principle was developed a few decades ago and was also used by NASA to recycle fluids in space to supply astronauts<\/span>. Reverse osmosis is also used in water desalination plants.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

In our body, in an effort to balance saturation, water gets out of our cells into saturated solutions to dilute them. If there is too much salt water, a lot of water is withdrawn from the cells and the organism runs the risk of drying out, despite the (salt) water excess in the body.<\/p>\n<\/div>

Conversely, only pure water molecules from the body get through semi-permeable membranes into our cells. The Aquaporine process ensures that foreign substances remain outside the cell.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Reverse osmosis filter systems in the household<\/h2><\/div>

At the end of the 20th century, the first reverse osmosis filter systems, occasionally also known as molecular filters, were developed for households. The actual filter process takes place completely without chemicals and without electricity and achieves a purity via nanofiltration. Technological materials that hold back substances that are larger than water molecules are used as the semi-permeable membrane. And since water molecules are one of the smallest elements, the filter effect is enormous and thorough. Up to 99% of the foreign matter can be removed in this way. This purity is not achieved by any other economically sensible technology that can be used in households. In addition to bacteria, pesticides and nitrates, antibiotics, medical and drug residues<\/a>, dissolved salts, amino acids, dyes, chlorine, odorous substances, viruses and many other undesirable components are also removed.<\/p>\n<\/div>

Distillation is another process that has nothing to do with reverse osmosis technology. Various volatile substances can still be contained in the distillation process.<\/p>\n<\/div>