by: Charlene Rennick
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Reverse Osmosis is a method of removing pathogens, or disease-carrying organisms from water, especially in geographical areas where safe drinking water is scarce. It is used in hydroponic gardening systems when rain water is collected and then filtered using reverse osmosis to make it clean and safe for agricultural use. Hydroponic systems collect the water used by the plants, filter it through reverse osmosis and then add nutrients to make it a nutritious plant food again; thus, the only water lost is what the plant absorbs and the small amount that evaporates.
What is osmosis and how can it be reversed? Osmosis is the name given to the process by which molecules, naturally and without any scientific intervention, move from a weaker solution to a stronger solution through any porous (permeable) membrane.
Reverse osmosis is contrived. That means it is not a naturally occurring phenomena. Pressure is used to reverse the flow of water back through a permeable membrane from a stronger, more concentrated area of mineral content to a weaker one. This forcibly removes salt and other minerals from sea water or very hard water that has a high calcium or magnesium content.
The process of reverse osmosis uses a fine membrane as a filter to remove salt and minerals from water in addition to larger pieces of dirt and pollens. It works because the molecules in salt, minerals and some pathogens are larger than water molecules. It doesn’t remove all harmful substances, though. Some contaminants and pollutants have particles that are so tiny that they slip through the membrane, so reverse osmosis is usually combined with a carbon filter to purify it and make it safe for drinking.
Because reverse osmosis strips most of the minerals from water, it becomes void of nutrients. In order to make it healthy for use in hydroponic gardens, nutrients have to be added for the plants. Neglecting to add nutrients to water that has been filtered through reverse osmosis, would strip the plant of its own nutrients because osmosis would occur!!