Challenges in Running Reverse Osmosis Plants

There is a severe water shortage in India, especially for drinking water. In urban areas many households have little to no access to a regular and reliable source of fresh drinking water. To counter this, water purification techniques like reverse osmosis have become increasingly important, creating a greater demand for reverse osmosis plant suppliers.

Reverse osmosis is one of the most preferred methodologies in water purification. With good reverse osmosis plant manufacturers we can build top of the line plants with very fine membrane that can remove effluents as well as bacteria. The water so purified is used in a range of applications, including agriculture, horticulture, domestic use and more.

Consequently, people now investing in RO plants also come from all sections of the society - from a multi-national F&B concern to a housing society. The reasons for the rise in demand for RO plants are equally varied. Deteriorating water supply, an inadequate public water distraction system and rising population is driving the demand for reliable water purification system and RO technology has taken the lead.

Challenges ahead

Although RO technology has emerged the most preferred and reliable, it is not without its challenges. Some of these relate to management, while some are concerned with the technology itself.

Revenue model: Where RO plants are managed privately or through a public-private partnership, revenue models can be challenging. Running an RO plant is not an inexpensive job. There are manpower costs as well as costs associated with regular maintenance. In government run plants this cost is often borne by the government itself. But a private run plant needs other sources of revenue that are regular and reliable. The cost must include both running and maintenance costs. This brings challenges of revenue distribution and realization.

Inadequate training: The biggest challenge for RO plant owners today is the lack of training in the operating crew. At the very least the operating crew, including operators, engineers and supervisor, must have at least a working knowledge of running an RO plant. This is necessary to ensure that the plant runs smoothly and all precautions are taken to avoid any damage.

In addition, there must also be personnel with advanced knowledge who can carry out any on-the-spot maintenance work. Finally, once in a while, the plant must be monitored by an expert. This will ensure that the plant is always running at optimal level.

Inadequate management: For optimum performance RO plants must be monitored regularly. When the feed water is fairly polluted, regular monitoring is essential to ensure clean water and the durability of the plant. This includes running tests on both feed water, the equipment and the treated water. However, most plants are run without any such measures in places. This affects the plant's performance and its overall lifespan.

Lack of pre-treatment: RO plants that treat extremely polluted water must have a pretreatment facility. In fact, most reverse osmosis plant suppliers insist that all plants should have pretreatment. This is necessary to ensure that there is no damage to the delicate membrane of the plant. It also ensures longer life for the membrane. A test for silt density index must be carried out and if it is found to exceed 5, pretreatment is advised.

Loss of minerals: One of the disadvantages of the RO technology is that it removes all minerals along with pollutants. In our household use, this does not make a lot of difference, since we can get essential minerals through other components in our daily diet. But it can be detrimental factor when used in agricultural or horticultural purposes. Remineralization can turn out too expensive and impractical. Using external sources is a better option.

Waste stream management: The other frequent challenge when managing RO plants is the waste stream utilization. Ideally the waste stream must be disposed off responsibly, through marine dumping, evaporation ponds or injection wells. However, many plants have no such mechanism in place and prefer to simply dump it at some designated place. This can further pollute groundwater.

Conclusion

While the demand for reverse osmosis plant suppliers has gone up to meet the increasing need for pure drinking water, the challenges in running such a plants must also be addressed. What we need is better planning and more trained staff.