![]() The level of liquid in the sugar water arm will slowly rise, as the solvent (water) moves through the Gore-tex, to make both sides of the arm more equal in a sugar-to-water ratio.īut why does that happen? Simply put, because water wants to find equilibrium. That's when the magic of osmosis begins, if you find the movement of water magical. In one arm of the U-tube, we pour our sugar water mixture. (Saran wrap wouldn't let anything through, and a piece of cotton fabric would let just about anything.) Gore-tex is our "semipermeable membrane." Gore-tex is a thin plastic, dotted with a billion tiny little holes that allow water vapor to pass through, but liquid to stay out. Right in the middle of the tube, imagine a bit of Gore-tex that cuts the U in half. This is not an internet video of kittens and monkeys hugging a U-tube is a beaker, shaped in a u-shape. Now that we have our solution of sugar water, we'll grab a U-tube. Just to keep track, we now have water (solvent) that we've dissolved sugar (solute) in, to make sugar water (our solution). To make our solvent a little tastier, we'll dissolve in some delicious sugar. To spice things up, we'll call water the "solvent" - which is convenient, because that's what it is. Let's learn about osmosis by filtering through to the next page.įirst, we'll make our solution. Assuming that you have a fairly good grasp on the definition of "reverse," we better start by taking a look at how osmosis works before we put the two together. Worldwide, there are now over 13,000 desalination plants in the world, according to the International Desalination Association.īut while knowing that reverse osmosis can convert seawater to drinking water is useful, what we really need to understand is how the heck the process occurs. In Perth, Australia (notably dry and arid, yet surrounded by sea), nearly 17 percent of the area's drinking water is desalinated sea water that comes from a reverse osmosis plant. Water treatment plants and systems are now adapting reverse osmosis to address some of these concerns. Add to that the threat of overpopulation - and the demand and pollution a swelling population brings - and water becomes one of the paramount environmental issues to watch for in the next generation. With climate change come unprecedented environmental impacts: torrential flooding in some areas, droughts in others, rising and falling sea levels. Water issues have become an extremely pressing global threat. Beyond that, reverse osmosis is used for recycling, wastewater treatment, and can even produce energy. Reverse osmosis is one of the processes that makes desalination (or removing salt from seawater) possible.
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