What Is Reverse Osmosis Water Used for? Let’s Find Out!
Written by: Gene Fitzgerald // Last Updated: Jul 12, 2023
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Reverse osmosis water expands so far past just making sure your household has a clean glass of water to drink.
It can (and is) used for many things outside of that!
Let’s take a look at some of the main things RO water is used for.
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Key Takeaways
- Reverse osmosis water can be used for a multitude of things, such as agriculture, the production of beer, reinforcing concrete, filtering water for aquariums, creating clear ice on ice rinks, washing cars, and making a great cup of coffee!
What Is Reverse Osmosis Water Used for?
So, what is reverse osmosis water used for?
Reverse osmosis water has a variety of uses. From agriculture to the sports industry, here are some cool things RO water is utilized for.
Agricultural Uses
Water is crucial for plant growth, and mixing with pesticides to prevent bacteria and harmful bugs. Water quality can significantly affect the performance of pesticide sprays, which are often composed of at least 95% water. Poor water quality can reduce the solubility and absorption of these substances, leaving crops vulnerable to pests and bacteria. Using reverse osmosis-treated water can result in more effective sprays and healthier crops.
Brewing Beer
Beer comprises simple ingredients – barley, water, hops, and yeast. The brewing process involves various stages, including malting, mashing, boiling, and fermenting. In all these stages, the quality of water used is vital. Many breweries rely on reverse osmosis systems to filter their water, ensuring that quality beer comes from quality water.
Crafting Clearer Ice On Ice Rinks
The creation and maintenance of ice rinks involve several steps, including the use of water. Reverse osmosis water, being free from contaminants, freezes clearer, giving ice rinks a more impressive shine.
Building Stronger Structures
Water plays a critical role in the creation of concrete. It reacts chemically with cement to create a durable material. Using quality water can enhance the strength and permeability of concrete.
Ensuring Healthy Aquariums
Quality water is essential for maintaining a safe and healthy environment for aquatic life—reverse osmosis water, which reduces up to 99% of all contaminants, benefits aquariums.
Effective Car Washing
Cleaner water results in cleaner cars. Reverse osmosis water removes the minerals and contaminants that leave behind white spots on vehicles after a wash, ensuring a spotless finish.
Brewing Delicious Coffee
Cafes often resort to reverse osmosis water for its multiple benefits. Not only does it offer guests purified drinking water, but it’s also used in coffee machines. The high-quality water produced by the reverse osmosis process minimizes scale build-up in the coffee machine and enhances the overall taste of the coffee by removing chlorine etc.
Boosting the Health of Lawns and Gardens
Reverse osmosis water proves beneficial for irrigating lawns and gardens. It eliminates harmful elements like salts, heavy metals, bacteria, pesticides, and other contaminants that could damage plants. Additionally, it allows gardeners to re-mineralize the water in a way that best suits the specific needs of their plants.
Producing Clearer, Tastier Ice Cubes
Using reverse osmosis water in ice makers often produces more transparent and tastier ice cubes. This is because the filtration process removes impurities that can affect the water’s taste and cause it to become cloudy when frozen. Most under sink systems can conveniently be connected to the refrigerator’s ice machine.
Further Reading:
Understanding Reverse Osmosis Water
Reverse osmosis systems work by filtering water through a semi-permeable membrane that is designed to block impurities.
In a home reverse osmosis system, the process typically starts with sediment filters, which remove large particles like dirt. After this step, the water passes through activated carbon to get rid of chlorine and other chemicals (they could damage the RO membrane). Speaking of, at the semi-permeable membrane the water is further filtered by removing dissolved salts, heavy metals, bacteria, pesticides, and other contaminants, leaving you with water that is almost 100% pure H20. Finally, we have a carbon post-filter giving the water a final polish before it comes out of the RO faucet.
If you have any questions about RO water uses please don’t hesitate to leave a comment below!
About the Author Gene Fitzgerald
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