Does Reverse Osmosis Waste Water?

Reverse osmosis is the best type of water purification system available, producing water that is much purer, fresher, and healthier than water from your faucet. However, it has certain drawbacks, including the fact that the water produced has good and bad minerals removed.

One of the biggest disadvantages of reverse osmosis in many people’s view is that it produces a lot of waste water. Some systems output three gallons of waste water for every one gallon of pure water produced although many modern systems are more efficient than this.

Why Waste Water is Produced by Reverse Osmosis?

Reverse osmosis uses a semi-permeable membrane that separates contaminants such as heavy metals, organic and inorganic matter, and other harmful substances. Over time, this membrane will become clogged with the contaminants that have been flushed out and its effectiveness will be reduced.

To overcome this, the system is periodically flushed with a mixture of salt and water and this, together with the contaminants removed from the membrane, is taken from the system as waste water. This water is always referred to as waste water because it is generally flushed out into the drains. However, it need not be wasted in this way.

The waste water will contain a number of impurities such as chemicals and sodium. But, particularly if from a municipal supply, the water will have fewer contaminants than some other supplied water since it will have gone through various filtration stages. Nevertheless, it may not be fit for drinking or for use in cooking.

Waste water can generally be used for a number of purposes, including:

• watering the garden and house plants
• washing floors
• laundry, although possibly not for some delicate fabrics
• flushing toilets.

It’s always best to test your waste water to determine where it can be used. You then need to divert the waste water from the drains and into a storage tank for later use.

How to Reduce Waste Water?

The automatic flushing with salt and water is necessary to extend the useful life of the membrane and to ensure it continues to work effectively. It is, therefore, a crucial element in the reverse osmosis process and cannot be avoided. You can, however, reduce the volume of waste water produced by:

• replacing the membrane at recommended intervals, usually every 2-3 years, so it continues to work efficiently; if your water has a high level of contaminants, replace it more frequently
• acquiring a modern reverse osmosis system that has a low wastage level; some suppliers are reluctant to divulge this information, but a reliable one will provide waste water rates
• getting a ‘zero waste’ reverse osmosis system that automatically recycles the waste water, often into the hot water supply although this means you will be washing in waste water.

You can of course choose how to recycle to try to be more environmentally friendly. At Aqua Pro Water Systems, we have a wide range of reverse osmosis and other water filtration systems, so you’ll find one to meet your needs. Although reverse osmosis produces the purest water, it isn’t for everyone and there are other filtration methods that produce no waste water.