2006-07-29 16:06:11 · 8 answers · asked by russel v 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Engineering
osmosis operates on the principal of water flowing from a high concentration to a low concentration... reverse osmosis is the opposite. This involes pushing water through a membrane using high pressure on one side. RO is used for filtration of water to make nano-pure water if the filter membrane has pores in the nano scale
2006-07-29 16:11:09 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you have two solutions separated by a membrane, say fresh water on one side of a membrane and salty water on the other, the natural tendency will be for the fresh water to go through the membrane and dilute the salt water. That is osmosis.
If the salt water is pressurized sufficiently, the water in it will go through the membrane to the fresh water side, thus leaving the salty side even saltier. That is reverse osmosis. Reverse osmosis is one way to take sea water and get fresh water for drinking.
2006-07-29 23:11:13 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The term reverse osmosis comes from the process of osmosis, the natural movement of solvent from an area of low solute concentration, through a membrane, to an area of high solute concentration if no external pressure is applied.
In simple terms, reverse osmosis is the process of pushing a solution through a filter that traps the solute on one side and allows the pure solvent to be obtained from the other side. More formally, it is the process of forcing a solvent from a region of high solute concentration through a membrane to a region of low solute concentration by applying a pressure in excess of the osmotic pressure. The membrane here is semipermeable, meaning it allows the passage of solvent but not of solute.
2006-07-29 23:11:55 · answer #3 · answered by P P 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
In reverse osmosis, the idea is to use the membrane to act like an extremely fine filter to create drinkable water from salty (or otherwise contaminated) water.
2006-07-29 23:15:07 · answer #4 · answered by China Jon 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
osmosis is when some particles pass through a membrane while others do not. so reverse osmosis is the other way round? :P
2006-07-29 23:10:20 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
osmosis is the principal of water running up hill...... reverse that and what do you have
2006-07-29 23:10:24 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
it's a slang expression for falling asleep on a textbook while you are studying for a midterm or something - the idea is that the knowledge creeps from the page to your fingers up your arm and into your brain while you sleep
and it doesn't work
2006-07-29 23:35:37 · answer #7 · answered by Molly R 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
forcing a liquid through a membrane the wrong way
2006-07-29 23:10:20 · answer #8 · answered by wizard 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋