Home water purifiers: Comparison between Microfiltration, Ultrafiltration and Reverse Osmosis
Home water purifiers - In this article, we will look at the differences between three of the most common water purification systems: microfiltration, ultrafiltration And reverse osmosis.
Microfiltration
Microfiltration is the most basic filtration method and is based on passing water through a semipermeable membrane with pores measuring between 0.1 and 10 microns. This membrane can remove solid particles such as silt, rust and bacteria, but not viruses or organic contaminants.
Pro
- Economic
- Easy to install and maintain
- Reduces the amount of silt, rust and bacteria in the water
Against
- It does not eliminate viruses or organic contaminants
- May be inefficient at removing chlorine
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Ultrafiltration
Ultrafiltration is a more effective filtration method than microfiltration and is based on the passage of water through a semipermeable membrane with pores measuring between 0.005 and 0.01 microns. This membrane can remove smaller solid particles, including viruses and bacteria, but not organic contaminants or mineral salts.
Pro
- Eliminates viruses and bacteria from water
- Reduces the amount of silt, rust and bacteria in the water
- Eliminates Chlorine
Against
- More expensive than microfiltration
- It is not suitable for certain waters or if you want the Fixed Residual below 100
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Reverse osmosis
Reverse osmosis is the most effective filtration method and is based on the principle that pure water tends to move from a less concentrated solution to a more concentrated one through a semipermeable membrane from 0.0001 to 0.0005 micron. In a reverse osmosis system, pressure is applied to the feed water to force the water through the semipermeable membrane, separating the mineral salts from the water.
Pro
- Eliminates viruses, bacteria, organic contaminants
- It does not require frequent maintenance
- Eliminates Chlorine
- It does not produce distilled water, it still has mineral salts
- Adjust the Fixed Residual
Against
- Prices Variable Based on Machine Power (GPD)
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Comparison table
| Function | Micro | Ultra | Reverse osmosis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Removal of solid particles | Silt, rust, bacteria | Viruses, bacteria, slime, rust | Viruses, bacteria, organic contaminants, mineral salts |
| Chlorine removal | Effective | Effective | Effective |
| Cost | Economic | Intermediate | Very expensive |
| Maintenance | Easy | Intermediate | Intermediate |
| Membrane | Pores from 0.1 to 10 microns | Pores from 0.005 to 0.01 microns | Pores from 0.0001 to 0.0005 microns |
Conclusion
The best Home water purifiers depend on your specific needs. If you need to remove only solid particles, the Microfiltration is a good option.
If you need to remove viruses and bacteria, ultrafiltration is a better choice. What if you need the purest water possible, reverse osmosis is the best solution.
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