Explain the process of desalination by reverse osmosis? [3 MARKS]
Reverse osmosis: The direction of osmosis can be reversed if a pressure larger than the osmotic pressure is applied to the solution side. The pure solvent flows out of the solution through the semipermeable membrane. This phenomenon is called reverse osmosis.
Desalination of water:
Desalination is the technique of removing impurities (like salts or other minerals and contaminants) from seawater, and it is a very common technique to obtain fresh water for human consumption and for domestic/industrial utilization.
1. In the method of Reverse Osmosis(RO), seawater (saline water) is taken in a tank fitted with a semi-permeable membrane (parchment).
2. A high pressure is applied on saline water so that pure water passes through the membrane to the other side and can be used for drinking purposes and impurities cannot pass through the membrane.
3. These days domestic water purification systems have RO technology in them as they also remove solid and chemical impurities and germs.