Commercial reverse osmosis filtration is a proven technology to purify water for medical, pharmacology, chemical and industrial requirements. The NEWater for domestic use in Singapore includes treatment of wastewater by reverse osmosis followed by UV-disinfection before releasing back into the reservoirs, to reduce the need to import water from neighbouring Johor, Malaysia. Alkaline chemicals are also added to balance the pH in the NEWater before discharge.
RO process may also be used in the desalination of seawater for drinking. This system is used to reduced the salt from the natural spring water in the Sibu Island Resort of the coast of Mersing, Johor, Malaysia. Although you can still taste the saltiness in the treated water, it is acceptable, after the dual reverse osmosis processes for the drinking supply to the kitchen. The water for general use in the island, such as bathing is only processed once and is hence more salty. They also bring in bottled drinking water from the mainland.
For years, household reverse osmosis water filters have been available in Malaysia. The contaminant reduction effectiveness is also dependent on its concentration and the membrane type. Just like the commercial systems, the regular monitoring and maintenance is required for these household RO systems.
RO systems are popular in countries such as South Korea, where the treated supply is hard water with excessive dissolved mineral ions in the water, and hence these systems are also used as water softerners. The treated water supply in Malaysia is not considered hard water, and the reduction of minerals may result in the water being closed to deionised and not stable, and hence will abosrb the ions from the environment. Although RO water should be pH 7 or neutral immediately after filtration, the absorption of ions from the environment will result in the water becoming acidic
Disadvantages of reverse osmosis units
Household reverse osmosis units use a lot of water because they have low back pressure. As a result, they recover only 5 to 15 percent of the water entering the system. The remainder is discharged as waste water. Because waste water carries with it the rejected contaminants, methods to recover this water are not practical for household systems. Wastewater is typically connected to the house drains and will add to the load on the household septic system. An RO unit delivering 5 gallons of treated water per day may discharge 40 to 90 gallons of wastewater per day.
Diamond Water has researched this technology for use in our systems and has concluded to be unsuitable for our major markets, which are Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. Diamond Home Spring Water is mildly alkaline, at less than pH 8.5, & is stabilised/ionised with minerals (Filter E) and calcium (Filter F). With the Diamond Home Spring Water Plans, you have a “FREE Trial” through our 30 days money-back satisfaction guarantee; only the RM50 installation fee is not refunded
Healthy regards, Andrew & the online team