Demystifying your Water Purifier!
Originally Published on Drink Prime http://drinkprime.in/ResourceCenter/
RO | UV | UF
REVERSE OSMOSIS
The most widely used water purification method is Reverse Osmosis (RO).It employs the membrane technology to remove impurities, germs and dissolved salts from water. Only water can pass through the very fine pores of the semipermeable membrane. Thus, it leaves behind all dissolved salts, harmful chemicals and microbes.
RO technology is recommended in the areas where the quality of water is hard and high in Total Dissolved Solids (TDS).The membrane requires regular maintenance. A drawback of RO purifier is that it may remove some essential minerals and alter the taste of water.
ULTRA VIOLET (UV)
This method of water purification employs ultra-violet light.It helps terminate the germs, microbes and bacteria present in impure water. UV purification is known to be an effective and simple process. Around 99.99% of the harmful organisms are eliminated.
Inside the purifier, a tiny mercury lamp produces shortwave UV radiations that irradiate the water. Later, it penetrates the cells of viruses and bacteria. The harmful organisms fail to multiply and are eventually eliminated.For maximum results, UV water purification works well with RO processor or activated carbon filters.
ULTRA FILTRATION (UF)
The Ultra-filtration (UF) purification technology uses a membrane that’s similar to the RO membranes but has bigger pores. UF membrane helps in removing all colloidal particles, which include pathogenic organisms and turbidity.However, it fails to remove the dissolved salts and solids.
UF purifier doesn’t require electricity and it removes all kinds of germs and impurities from the water. It’s low in maintenance and long-lasting as well. These purifiers can be manually cleaned by flushing all the blocked dirt and germs.
MULTI STAGE PURIFIERS
The combination of different water purification technologies is used to produce healthy, clean, and purified drinking water. Multi-stage or universal water purifiers combine the features of 2–3 purification processes.
– RO + UV purifiers use both reverse osmosis and ultra-violet technology.They help remove harmful micro-organisms, heavy metals, and other dissolved impurities present in water.
– RO + UV + UF purifiers employ the UF filters to make sure the water is pure. These purifiers are highly recommended as they help reduce the TDS level of the inlet water making it safe for daily consumption.
Multi-stage purifiers enhance the taste of water by adding essential minerals. However, they depend on electricity to complete all the purification stages. The maintenance is high and regular service is vital.
