Desalination is the process of separating freshwater from the dissolved salts and minerals in a saline water source, such as seaweed or brackish water. Both membrane and desalination technologies exist. Reverse osmosis (RO) is a commonly employed membrane technology used in industrial desalination facilities. The most advanced RO membranes use the following, in a compact and efficient design:

• Thin film composite construction
• Membrane spacers
• Crossflow processing

Other processes and devices, such as pretreatment, post-treatment, and energy recovery systems are used with the RO system to complete the separation of freshwater from seawater.

The Reverse Osmosis training course discusses the scientific principles on which RO technology is based. It explains the primary function of an RO desalination system. This online training course identifies the key components of a typical RO system, with an emphasis on membrane technology. It also highlights the importance of permeate recovery percentage. This course covers:

• RO technology fundamentals
• RO membrane technology
• RO membrane basics
• RO systems
• RO operations

Reverse Osmosis is part of the Water Treatment training series.