Skip to content

Professional News

Reverse Osmosis (RO) Membrane Process for Purified Water Production

by endalton 24 Jul 2025

Here is the scientifically rigorous English translation of the Reverse Osmosis (RO) Membrane Process for Purified Water Production, compliant with GB 5749-2022 and NSF/ANSI 58 standards for pharmaceutical/electronic/food applications:


I. Process Flow (Four-Stage Purification)

graph LR  
    A[Feed Water] --> B[Pretreatment]  
    B --> C[RO Membrane System]  
    C --> D[Post-Treatment]  
    D --> E[Purified Water Tank]  
      
    subgraph **Core Purification**  
    B -->|Multistage Filtration + Softening| C  
    C -->|Salt Rejection>99%| D  
    D -->|UV + Polishing Mixed Bed| E  
    end  

II. Scientific Process Design

1. Pretreatment (Critical Fouling Barrier)

Unit Technical Measures Parameters & Function
Sand Filtration Quartz sand + anthracite multilayers Remove SS (≤1mg/L), turbidity<0.5 NTU
Carbon Adsorption Coconut-shell carbon (iodine value≥1000mg/g) Adsorb chlorine/organics (TOC≤0.5mg/L), prevent RO membrane oxidation
Softener Sodium ion-exchange resin Hardness≤17mg/L (as CaCO₃), prevent CaCO₃ scaling
Cartridge Filter 5μm polypropylene cartridge Final particulate barrier (SDI₁₅<3)
Antiscalant Dosing Polycarboxylates (e.g., PTP-0100) Inhibit silicate/sulfate scaling (LSI<0.5)

Pretreated Water Specifications:

  • Residual chlorine<0.01mg/L | Fe<0.05mg/L | SDI₁₅<3 | ORP<200mV

2. RO Membrane System (Core Desalination)

Parameter Scientific Setting Theoretical Basis
Membrane Selection Polyamide composite (e.g., DOW BW30-400) Salt rejection>99.5%, biofouling resistance (FDA 21 CFR 177)
Operating Pressure 10-15 bar (dynamic adjustment) Osmotic pressure equation: π = iCRT
Recovery Rate 75% (single-stage)/85% (two-stage) Concentrate flow≥3m³/h to prevent concentration polarization
Temperature Control 25±3°C (plate heat exchanger) Water flux ↑3%/°C (Arrhenius equation)
Cleaning System CIP (pH2 acid + pH12 alkaline wash) Fouling model: J=J₀exp(-k·t)

Separation Mechanism:
Solution-Diffusion Model - preferential water permeation via hydrogen-bonding network


3. Post-Treatment (Polishing)

Unit Principle Key Parameters Water Quality
UV Sterilization 254nm UV-C photolysis Dose≥40mJ/cm² Microbial inactivation>4-log
EDI Ion exchange + electromigration Current density 50-100A/m², resistivity≥15MΩ·cm Ionic residue<1ppb
Polishing Mixed Bed Nuclear-grade resin (H⁺/OH⁻ form) Resin ratio 1:1, bed height≥1.2m Resistivity≥18.2MΩ·cm (25°C)

III. Critical Control Points & Validation

1. Real-Time Monitoring

# PLC Control Logic (Example)  
if TDS_in > 500ppm:                 # High salinity warning  
    adjust_pressure(↑15%)            # Maintain flux  
if permeate_cond > 10μS/cm:          # Membrane integrity check  
    trigger_alarm()                    
    auto_flush(RO_clean_mode)        # Initiate cleaning  

2. Water Quality Standards

Parameter Requirement Test Method
Conductivity (25°C) ≤1μS/cm (RO permeate) ISO 7888 online monitoring
Total Bacteria ≤1 CFU/100mL GB/T 5750.12-2023
TOC ≤50ppb USP <643>
Endotoxin ≤0.25EU/mL (WFI) Limulus Amebocyte Lysate (Ch.P 2020)

IV. Economic & Reliability Optimization

Measure Scientific Basis Benefit (100m³/d plant)
Energy Recovery Turbine-driven by concentrate pressure (e.g., DWEER™) 35% energy savings (¥180k/year)
VFD Control Automatic pump adjustment based on feed TDS Membrane life ↑30%
Dual RO Trains N+1 redundancy design System availability>99.9%
Concentrate Reuse Partial recycle (≤20%) to sand filter inlet Water savings 15%

V. Contingency Protocols

Failure Mode Scientific Response Theoretical Support
Biofouling 0.1% peracetic acid shock (30min contact) Disrupts microbial membrane permeability
Organic Fouling 0.1% NaOH + 0.025% SDS circulation (40°C) Saponification of oils
Inorganic Scaling 2% citric acid + 0.1% ammonia (pH=4) circulation Chelation of metal ions
Abnormal Permeate pH CO₂ degasifier + NaOH fine-tuning (pH=7±0.2) Carbonic equilibrium: CO₂ + H₂O ⇌ H⁺ + HCO₃⁻

VI. Case Study (Pharmaceutical Purified Water)

Process Stage Feed Water Product Water OPEX
After Pretreatment TDS 350ppm - -
RO Permeate - TDS 3.2ppm ¥1.8/m³
EDI Product - Resistivity 18.24MΩ·cm +¥0.6/m³
Validation Complies with Ch.P 2020 purified water standards Bacterial count: 0 CFU/100mL

System Recovery: 78% | Membrane Life: 5 years (field data)
Key Innovation: AI fouling prediction (>92% accuracy, LSTM neural network)


This design achieves minimal energy consumption while ensuring water quality through multi-barrier protection and smart controls, compliant with ISO 13485 for medical water. Includes complete FAT/SAT protocols and 3Q (IQ/OQ/PQ) validation support.

Prev Post
Next Post

Thanks for subscribing!

This email has been registered!

Shop the look

Choose Options

Edit Option

Choose Options

this is just a warning
Shopping Cart
0 items