
145Filtration Textiles
© 2008 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
perfect exclusion of particles regardless of operational parameters
such as inuent pressure and concentration. RO, however, involves
a diffusive mechanism so that separation efciency is dependent on
inuent solute concentration, pressure, and water ux rate. It works
by using pressure to force a solution through a membrane, retain-
ing the solute on one side and allowing the pure solvent to pass to
the other side. This is the reverse of the normal osmosis process,
which is the natural movement of solvent from an area of low sol-
ute concentration, through a membrane, to an area of high ...