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Commercial Reverse Osmosis and Ultrafiltration
Commercial RO systems force pressurized water through a semi-permeable membrane, rejecting dissolved solids, heavy metals, nitrates, PFAS, and ionic contaminants. The result is water with 90–98% of total dissolved solids removed — essential for applications where product quality, equipment longevity, or regulatory compliance depends on low-TDS water.
Commercial RO applications
- Food service — Coffee, tea, fountain beverages, ice production, and steam cooking equipment all benefit from low-TDS, chlorine-free water. Mineral content affects taste, ice clarity, and espresso extraction.
- Boiler feed water — Dissolved solids cause scale and corrosion in steam boilers. RO pre-treatment dramatically extends boiler tube life and reduces chemical treatment costs.
- Manufacturing — Battery production, semiconductor rinse, pharmaceutical water, and electroplating all require controlled-purity process water.
- Healthcare — Dialysis water must meet AAMI/ANSI purity standards achievable only with RO or higher-purity systems.
- Cooling tower makeup — RO-treated makeup water reduces cycles of concentration requirements and extends tower equipment life.
RO vs ultrafiltration — when to use each
Reverse osmosis removes dissolved solids (TDS), ions, heavy metals, nitrates, PFAS, and most contaminants. Uses it when you need to reduce TDS — when mineral content affects product taste, equipment scale, or process requirements.
Ultrafiltration (UF) operates at lower pressure and removes particles, bacteria, viruses, and large molecules, but does not reduce dissolved TDS. Use UF when microbial control is the primary concern and mineral content is acceptable. UF membranes have longer service life and lower operating cost than RO where TDS reduction isn't needed.
Key specifications for commercial RO
- Production rate (GPD) — Gallons per day at rated pressure. Size for 1.5× peak daily demand to account for membrane age and temperature effects.
- Recovery rate — Percentage of feed water recovered as permeate. Commercial systems typically run 50–75% recovery. Higher recovery means less wastewater but greater scaling risk on the membrane.
- Rejection rate — Percentage of TDS removed. Quality commercial membranes achieve 95–98% rejection when new.
- Operating pressure — Most commercial membranes require 50–100 PSI. Systems with booster pumps maintain pressure independent of supply line variation.
- Pre-treatment requirements — Chlorinated municipal water requires carbon pre-filtration to protect TFC membranes. Iron above 0.1 PPM requires iron removal before the RO membrane.