Escolar Documentos
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G1490
(Revised October 2008)
Homeowners can find out more about reverse amount of contaminant in the water depends on the contami-
nant concentration, chemical properties of the contaminant,
osmosis in this guide, which discusses the principles
the membrane type and condition, and operating conditions.
and process of RO treatment for household drinking
water. Refer to the section in this guide on the RO process for ex-
planation of these factors.
No one piece of treatment equipment manages all con-
Contaminants removed from water by reverse osmosis taminants. All treatment methods have limitations and often
Reverse osmosis (RO) membrane filters frequently are situations require a combination of treatment processes to
used to reduce the levels of total dissolved solids and suspended effectively treat the water. Activated Carbon (AC) filtration
particles within water. Some contaminants treated effectively and/or sediment filtration is commonly used in conjunction
by RO membrane filters are listed in Table I. This table is not with RO filters. Sediment filters help remove silt particles that
an exhaustive list of contaminants that RO may remove, but may foul the RO membrane. AC filters remove chlorine and
rather lists those for which RO can be a practical treatment certain pesticides and organic solvents that the RO membrane
method for treating household drinking water. is not as effective in removing (see Table II). The section in
this guide on equipment discusses this concept.
Table I. Contaminants removed by household reverse osmosis units.
Table II. Contaminants removed by activated carbon filter commonly
Ions and Metals Arsenic, Aluminum, Barium, Cadmium, Calcium, included in a household reverse osmosis system.
Chloride, Chromium, Copper, Fluoride, Iron, Lead,
Magnesium, Manganese, Mercury, Nitrate, Potassium, Ions and Metals Chlorine, Radon
Radium, Selenium, Silver, Sodium, Sulfate, Zinc Organic Chemicals Benzen1, Carbon tetrachloride, Dichlorobenzene,
Particles Asbestos, Protozoan cysts, Cryptosporidium Toluene, Trichloroethylene, Total Trihalomethanes
Pesticides Endrin, Heptachlor, Lindane, Pentachlorophenol (THMs)
Pesticides 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene, 2,4-D, Atrazine
Concentrated
Dilute
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