Membrane filtration technology has revolutionized industry standards in purifying raw water and recycling liquid waste. Among the various levels of filtration available, Ultra Filtration (UF) and Reverse Osmosis (RO) are the two most relied-upon systems.
Both use microscopic filtering membranes, yet they were created to target entirely different types of pollutants. Choosing the wrong system will inevitably lead to wasted energy or water quality that falls short of the operational standards of your plant's machinery.
Characteristics of Ultra Filtration
A UF system uses a filtering membrane with pore sizes in the range of 0.01 micron. This degree of tightness works very effectively to block microscopic solid particles, sediment, pathogens, and harmful bacteria.
The pores of a UF membrane are still loose enough for dissolved minerals and salt molecules to pass through, making it ideal for clarifying turbid river water or serving as a pre-treatment stage that protects machinery.
Characteristics of Reverse Osmosis
Operating at a far more extreme level of separation, RO membranes have pores measuring 0.0001 micron. This system requires the push of a high-pressure pump to overcome osmotic pressure and force pure water molecules through.
As a result, RO not only sweeps bacteria away but also blocks up to 99.9 percent of salts, dissolved minerals, and heavy metal ions.
A Guide to Choosing the Right Technology
The level of filtration must be calibrated directly to your target operational water quality:
- Choose a UF system if: your plant only needs to remove turbidity and sterilize bacteria without having to strip out the mineral content in the water. UF operating costs and pump electricity consumption are also far lower.
- Choose an RO system if: your facility demands a supply of pure water with no tolerance for dissolved minerals, for example as feed water for high-pressure steam boilers, for the pharmaceutical industry, or for seawater desalination.
Design Your Water Purification with Hydromaster
For extreme purification needs, we offer two types of RO machines, namely Brackish Water and Sea Water, with compact rack designs ranging from 1.8 meters to 2.9 meters.
If your facility only requires physical clarification and sterilization, our UF system comes with a height of 3 meters and has a proven Bacteria Removal Rate of up to 99.9%.
What are you waiting for? Contact us right away to build a water treatment system for your business!